Crypt Queen

[donnatron]

As sweet as death, as deep as the grave: pomegranate, raspberry, gardenia, plum, and rose with patchouli, black pepper, rose musk, and a hint of blood accord.

Bottle: Primarily pomegranate and plum. Little hint of the florals and almost no patchouli or pepper--both of which are usually easily identifiable to my nose.

Wet: Crypt Queen goes on high pitched, tart and fruity. The pomegranate and plum are definitely the top notes and a hint of raspberry starts to develop. Creamy backdrop of rose and gardenia. It reminds me of a darker version of Blood Countess. A bit more tart in nature and more complex.

Dry: The pomegranate calms down some but this is still primarily a fruity scent. It's grounded and made more adult by the warm florals, the skin warmth of the rose musk and the dark combo of patchouli and pepper. The blood accord is just that perfect touch of sweet saltiness over the rest of the notes. It's a fun scent to wear throughout the day because it changes throughout the day, starting out sweet/tart and fruity to more of a creamy floral until the end of the day when it is a lingering spicy patchouli touched with pomegranate. An unusual and sexy scent.

Throw: Strong.

Overall: I freakin' love Crypt Queen. It's like the perfect merger between Blood Countess and Mme. Moriarty. I wear this one a lot and like the way that it is commanding, incense-y and attention grabbing without seeming sleazy or off putting. I love, love, LOVE this scent.

[Andalei]

I've held off reviewing this for awhile because I don't think I can do it justice. But this is an incredible scent. And until I re-read the scent notes just now, I never would have guessed there was rose in this! I have 2 imps worth in a glass rollon and sniffing it wet in the bottle, it's very fruity with a kick of pepper underneath. The first time I smelled it I actually thought "evil bubblegum" but I mean it in the nicest way possible. On my skin, it's a gorgeous spicy fruit with a hint of floral and now that I've been wearing it for a few hours it's morphed into a delicious incensy scent with that pepper spice just barely lurking in the background. I am so, so glad I was able to get my hands on the little bit that I have.

[yakiguri]

Thanks to the always wonderful and amazing chinkee21 for letting me sniff her goodies.

 

...but I kinda wish I hadn't sniffed this, because it'll be next to impossible--at least on *my* budget--to get a bottle of this. DAMN, this is nice. Reading the actual notes list I would've been completely written it off as it's chock full of death and meh notes. But on the skin Crypt Queen is a beautiful fruit-floral with a spice kick. It's as if Mme. Moriarty has a pet Bakeneko and its scent has permeated her wardrobe. Yum.

 

Dammit, this is why I strive to not even try super LEs as I'll just get my heart broken. Please re-release it, Labbies?

[Juushika]

In the vial: Dark, tart pomegranate, perhaps a touch of rose.

 

On me: Soft, dusty rose balancing out pomegranate's tartness; a rich, dark scent, round with fruit, overlayed with patchouli and a bit of spice. Rose amps on me, but this one stays pleasantly in check; plum does likewise, and this one gets a touch too distinct for my taste but also stays reigned in. A well-blended scent on the whole, dark and round with fruit and spicy-sweet, yet gentle. It's strongly reminiscent of Queen of Clubs, but I prefer that scent. Throw is moderate low; wear length is moderate high.

 

Verdict: Queen of Clubs wowed me with its wearable rose and dark, dirty fruits; Crypt Queen is in many ways similar, but never passes from "good" to "great"—whatever magic marks QoC, it isn't here. And that's fine! It's a beautifully realized scent on the whole, dark and round and complex, but I'm not in love and don't need to keep my decant.

[Mechanical Death]

I missed its run unfortunately, but was lucky enough to snag an unopened bottle and display on eBay recently. It comes beautifully packaged with this gorgeous heavy coffin. Stunning!

 

Pomegranate I thought was a death note for me. So many blends I have tried with pomegranate turn into this mint chaapstick smell. Crypt queen however is beautifully tart, heady raspberry and pomegranate. The rose is dusty, like dried dead roses-- a perfect compliment to the red and tart fruits. It has a bit of a fruit wine smell. Raspberry and pomegranate wine surrounded by musky rose incense. So glad I got to try this. I'm gng to have to hunt down more. This is easily a top 10 for me.

[claudia6913]

Mme. Moriarty's mentor - old, dry, brittle, but still alive with the thrum of blood.

 

Patchouli is not a note I got hunting for, but it always ends up being in some of my favorite blends. The plum and other fruits lend it a bit of sweetness that keeps this blend from being overly dry and droll. The rose and gardenia lift the blend up out of the grave. The rose musk is giving me the sense that it's much redder and reminding me more of red musk. And the blood accord lets you know the Queen is still very much alive.

[Kanra]

Managed to get a bottle of this and it is absolutely fantastic. Easily a top five BPAL to me. Maybe even a top three BPAL to me.

 

Everything here is just so well blended and comes together seamlessly. It's a dark take on a fruity floral. If you love that fruity floral combination but find the run of the mill options not vampy enough for your taste, Crypt Queen is perfect. It's dark yet sweet, musky yet clear. As a lover of all things floral who considers dark fragrances amongst my favorites, by notes alone I thought this would be similar enough to other offerings, but it isn't.

 

The age of this truly sets it apart. I have no idea what it smelled like in its youth, but Crypt Queen has a sort of refined darkness to it. It isn't loud and in your face. It doesn't smell anything like a gothy store as some similar genered fragrances lean. It smells more like a mature, adult, elegant and refined take on a dark fragrance. Someone who no longer has anything to prove, who is comfortable in their own skin and able to be themselves without having to convince the world who they are.

 

If Crypt Queen was a person, she would be that type. As a perfume, she's just as lovely. Dusty roses and sweet fruits, darkness and musk and that pepper. Oh, the pepper. Pepper is a note that can be a hit or a miss for me but here it works wonderfully.

 

I am so glad I was able to find a bottle of this. This is really special. The coffin it comes with is really nicely done too. A classic BPAL that I'm very happy to own. Lovely, lovely, lovely. I can't sing its praises enough.

[lipstickonmyteeth92]

As sweet as death, as deep as the grave: pomegranate, raspberry, gardenia, plum, and rose with patchouli, black pepper, rose musk, and a hint of blood accord.

 

I managed to snag a half bottle of this a few years ago and I finally have it! I've been very excited to try this one out. 

 

In bottle: Pomegranate and red fruit, sweet. There's also the darkness of the plum and I get the iron blood note and pepper

Wet on skin: Musty, I think I'm amping the gardenia/rose. It's like opening a grave and there being some dried flowers still entwined in the corpses' hands. But it's not a powdery musty smell, it's darkened by the fruit and patchouli in a really lovely way. Similar to Mme. Moriarty but less intense. More refined? 

Dry on skin (after about two hours): It's practically gone at this point, there's a faint whiff of this dark fruity floral-ness. I think I'll have to let this sit in the dark a while as at this point I'm not sure about it even though these are all notes that I should amp.