Crypt Queen

[shelldoo]

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.

What I see in the distance is a moss covered ancient mausoleum. Being the daring soul I am, I silently creep, on careful footsteps to the door. It makes en eerie creak, almost a slow moan as I ease the door open. Standing alone, in the center of the interior is a coffin that looks almost as aged as the building itself. Somewhere deep in the recess of my mind I realize this could be dangerous. I have heard rumors the ever dangerous inhabitant who wants to own her victims abides in these hallowed halls. I get closer to the coffin, commited to my destiny, I slowly open the lid by sliding it a crack, the smell of dry almost crackling moss. I can tell the inhabitant once had life a hint of almost animated musk. I also can detect funeral flowers, particularly rose, and something barely fruity and sweet. As I get to know the Queen better I can almost feel her breath and eyes on me, deep, dark, dusty. She still has the barest hint of sweetness, and that musk, I want her to love me, I want her to always be with me, captivate me w/ the life she once led, holding court and having people fall at her feet, worshiping. I feel I could stay here all day, and a drowsiness starts to fall across me, hypnotic. I desire to curl up, rest, deep, undisturbed slumber. It feels like hours have passed, I realize they have, I had fallen asleep. I awake feeling almost as if someone was there with me, then recall I had been invisioning *her* and her scent still lingers, enfolding me in a cloud of the softest skin musk, no bitterness, no anciant mosses, just a soft sweet breath, a hint of her previous beauty lingering, bekoning me to become hers fully. I realize suddenly I want to. I want to be hers, stay with her forever.....

[500ml]

I was truly anticipating the arrival of this little lady and her home as for the most part all the notes just seemed so perfect for me (iffy on the raspberry, it's not a fruit I enjoy, unsure about the blood accord). Then I opened the bottle... Cloying sweet, oh no Wet on my skin this is like ultra sweet bubblegum. Maybe it's all the fruit, but all I could smell was bubblegum. To be honest, I kind of enjoyed it, but I was secretly hoping that it would quickly morph into something a bit less kid-ish. Thank the gods it did, turning into a plummy sweet scent with an underlying earthy note. At this point it smells like a very grown up and mature blend, totally awesome. Then at last, the patchouli and the rose musk finally start to pipe up a little and the blend turns a bit dusty and more earthy. The fruits are still there, but they're mingling happily with the earthier notes. I can't say I get much floral which does sadden me, but this is already pretty damn good.

Edited September 15, 2007 by porcelain

[oakmoss]

First of all, the coffin is great! Heavy and creepy and wonderful. It will make a lovely addition to my Halloween decor. Crypt Queen herself smelled very fruity-bubblegum in the bottle, but I was so happy about the coffin that I didn't care. On my skin, the bubblegum disappears in a flash, replaced by pomegranate incense with a whisper of rose. The dusty quality others have mentioned is amazing -- it really does smell crypt-y, with a faint sharpness of damp stone. Something you might want to wear when you go visit Spike.

[dronzeka]

Alas, this didn't work on me. It is rather bubble-gum sweet in the bottle - maybe it's the raspberry, maybe it's the pomegranate, which sometimes works for me and sometimes doesn't. In any case, it goes rather heavy syrupy fruity sweet on me while wet, and not in the good way. And then as it dries down it does do the kind of dusty earthy thing that people mention, which doesn't work for me either. I think at this point it's the patchouli, although I'll say that the patchouli here works for me better than most BPAL patch. After about three hours it is a rather nice dusty floral, but it's not worth waiting for. Sad, because it's such a cool concept and the notes sounded so gorgeous. But I'm glad to see that the Queen is getting the love she deserves from so many others!

[Tramp]

Incense, dusky red fruits, dry ceder. Deliciousness in a bottle. It reminds me of the love child of Mme Moriarty and Monster Bait: Ventriloquist Dummy. Thankfully on me the rose is expressed as duskyness and not pure evil. It blends well with the other florals for more of a antique floral feeling instead of a crazy cat ladies front parlor with dried roses and hairballs. I don't get as much of a fruit feel as some others are reporting and am amping a distinct ceder note - which is probably why the florals are working so well on me.

 

Love it!

[Little Bird]

I thought that this would be a fruity rose perfume scent from the notes, but the concept made me think it might be more dark and earthy. On me, it's not really any of those things though. It's strange.

 

Crypt Queen probably has the potential to be awesome on someone, but that someone is not me. My skin amps up the fruity notes and the pomegranate, but pomegranate tends to smell very tart and dry on my skin. I wind up smelling like sweet tarts with hints of musk and dry floral notes that fade in and out. It's not at all a dark or earthy scent on me, which surprised me given its name & theme, though the floral notes seem to turn to full out dust on my skin over time. I amp up the Crypt Queen into unbearably dry sweet tarts and dust :|

[Torrain]

...wintergreen. Bloody hell, it's wintergreen. It's not bad--it's a very nice winter-y pine-y smell, sunlit snowy graveyard kind of thing--but... it's... wintergreen.

 

Right. After about an hour, it's kind of separating out. Pepper and patchouli, with a tiny fruit bite. Which still gives an end result amazingly like wintergreen. It reminds me of an anecdote about how painters would occasionally mix grey and cream and a touch of red ochre to get a murky kind of grey that would pass for something like blue, because real blue paint was so incredibly expensive (being made from lapis lazuli as it was)--that same kind of weird blending. *shrug* It's okay--just *completely* not what I expected.

 

Two hours in: definitely separating out. Mostly patchouli, with grim and biting notes and a tiny background hint of rose. I like. And it lasts for hours.

 

I am *so* glad this ended up working out--for the first few hours after I opened the package, I was terrified it was going to be all Christmassy. This is the sort of thing I'd put on two hours before I went out, and have the smell slowly turn from awake and active into sharp and rich and dark as I ambled around and got ready for an evening.

 

Also, the little crypt is now where I'm keeping my spare change on my desk. Much nicer than the old vitamin supplement plastic bottle.

 

Love and coffee,

Frances

[Bethany]

There's a story behind my bottle of Crypt Queen.

 

My elderly kitty was very ill. He was crying on the floor, not moving voluntarily, hobbling when he did move. We rushed him to the vet, to find out he had an obstructed bowel. Two vet trips and several hundred dollars later, he was ok.... but that completely blew my chance to order anything from the last update.

 

I posted a note on the update anticipation thread about it, and received an extraordinarily sweet PM from Emu Nymph. She offered to send me a decant of the Crypt Queen, and some of the Halloween soaps. I was completely shocked and surprised at such generosity from a total stranger - we've never chatted or Pm'd or traded before, so this was utterly out of the blue.

 

So when I got home last friday after a really really rough week recovering from my own 'trip to the vet' - a minor surgury - and was feeling all waaah sorry for myself, there was a box on the doorstep from the Post.

 

"That can't be right," I thought. "I didn't order anything."

 

Inside - along with some outrageously generous Trading Post frimpage - was a note from Puddin Himself. "This is a gift from the lovely Emu Nymph." Inside was a large box with the Alchemists Local sticker on it. I opened the inner box, and it was the Crypt Queen in her Crypt in full glory!

 

I was befuddled. I quickly sent off a note to the Post, asking if perhaps I'd gotten Emu's order in error. I tried to PM her, but the forum was down. Then I was out of town for two days. Sunday night, I got a Pm from Emu: no mistake, she'd simply bought me the Queen, because other people had been sweet to her, and she thought she'd pass along the karma.

 

So this review is for Emu Nymph, for such incredible generosity and kindness. I am beyond amazed and grateful.

 

-------------------------------------------

 

The Crypt Queen: I open her coffin and she is nestled inside, cradled by midtoned gray grasses. The lable shows a skeletal figure, curled on its side, hands clasped as if in repose by her face.

 

I open the bottle. A very rich, dark, earthy scent wafts upward. It smells *DARK*... like the deepest color of a pansy or the tint of an emperor's imperial velvet cloak laying in shadows. There's something slightly medicinal that makes it seem cold, and distant. Perhaps the patchouli and the pepper? There's no flowers here, no prettiness. Just a midnight, wicked darkness. I'm almost afraid to try it on, as it's nothing like the more rich florals I'm generally drawn to. But I touch it to my wrist, and something magical happens. The rose blooms, just enough to evoke the imagery of an abandoned graveyard garden at the stroke of twelve. There's depth and sensuality to it. My husband catches up my wrist and smells, and proclaims it his favorite of any of Mme Moriarty's creations.

 

-------------------------------------------

 

Thank you again, to Emu Nymph, for allowing me to experience this, and to - just maybe - have found that One Scent that finally convinces my beloved that Bpal might just maybe be ok...

 

-bethany

[alhbooks]

Mm....I'm usually too slow to pick up the limited items like this, but the combination of red fruits and florals won me over instantly...I was a bit nervous about the pepper and patchouli, which tend to take me back to my college days, but neither one overwhelmed her majesty's rich juiciness.

 

As it dries, the notes combine into a soft complex scent I can wear all day happily. This is all the Halloween treat I need.

 

Oh, the the coffin is also to die for.

[savage_rose]

In the imp: fruity and a little...odd. I'm not sure what note this is, it's not bad, but it has sort of a vacant house smell.

 

Wet: the fruitiness gives way to a perfuminess. A lovely, yummy perfumey with a floral bouquet floating on top. Lovely!

 

Dry: This is bizarre. The fruity perfuminess has made room for a hint of patchouli and...is that bubble gum? Or new eraser smell? It doesn't smell bad, just strange. I smell like a little hippie girl's makeup case, LOL! Nice, but I'm not sure it's me.

[Medici]

A Preface: I've been wearing Crypt Queen consistently since she first arrived a couple of days ago, avoiding the review threads while trying to decide for myself if the patchouli end note makes me smell like a dirty hippy, or the matriarch who presides over a nighttime graveyard. I've decided on the latter. I've also decided that this blend is wholly not what I was expecting, and I'm downright plum pleased about it. (The casket is so much awesome. It's presently housing my White Rabbit scent locket. Double the BPTP love.)

 

Onward...

 

In the bottle: This is Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo and cough drops. I had to break out my Aunt C to compare, and that gooey, pink, bubblegum goodness is eerlie similar. The raspberry and pomegranate leap out, right off the bat, which is a little disconcerting since I'd expected something less fruity, and much more dark and foreboding.

 

Wet: Crypt Queen needs to hit the skin to shine. She's a morpher, and for me, she'll go through three major changes before settling. The onset takes off the candied edge, the raspberry dissipating first to allow the pomegranate to take center stage. At this point, it goes from a rosy pink to a heavy red, dripping fruit, and that's when the real fun begins. The onset of drydown allows for the patchouli to make itself known, and it throws the ambiance from red to dusted plum.

 

Drydown: It's like someone's shoved you from behind after having peered curiously for too long into a dark, dank place. While you're on the outside, you're okay. It's alright to be a spectator, letting your eyes adjust to the gloom. Drydown hits, and the fruit are gone, the world's cut off at your back, and someone's pulled the marble slab back in place behind you. How much awesome is that? Go on, ask me. No? Fine, I'll tell you: there are slats of light - hints of faded flowers left to rest, but the overwhelming sense is one of unnerving quiet. You don't want to move for fear of stirring the dust at your feet, but this is where Crypt Queen takes on her mantle: the patchouli is not, in my opinion, the bawdy, earthen sort that you'd find in Mme. Mo. Mme. Mo's tempered by musk. Crypt Queen is a smattering of dry earth, a heavy layer of dust, and flowers that have gone from wilting to enchanting decay. It takes a solid twenty minutes to catch the reminder of black pepper, but by that point, I've already settled into the gloom, accepting the fact that this blend is where it ought to be, and I wouldn't change it for the world.

 

Verdict: I love her. (And grey lady death loves me right back.) 5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrve

Edited September 19, 2007 by Medici

[wyldeflower]

In the bottle I could smell the fruit and patchouli, it was wonderful! I was really looking forward to enjoying this one. On my skin though, I could only smell rose...well, maybe a bit of the patchouli too but mostly just rose. Unfortunately, it didn't change so I found a new home for her.

[LupaWulf]

I'm in heaven! I don't smell like dirty hippy butt from the patchouli!

 

It's an awesome pomegranate, which is the aspect of Swank that I adore, with some really nifty undertones. While wearing it, I don't get too much fruit- nice pomegranate without being too sweet- plus what smells to me to be a sort of woodsy type cedar scent. I really REALLY like it. I have no idea what sort of scent that is either other than good.

 

It seems to last very well on me too. I'm also impressed with the fact the scent is very consistent even hours later on my skin with what it smells like while in the bottle. The change is VERY minor- I only loose a little sweetness and end up getting slightly more of the darker undertones which I find very comforting.

 

I was really waffling around about trying Crypt Queen and am WICKEDLY glad I decided to make the purchase. I also loved the cute little Halloween goodies in the box. The squishable jack o lantern with the gooey eyes nose and mouth that squeeze out when you squeeze it is hilarious! I also think the triple dagger sticker is going to have a lovely home on my car once I clean a spot to ensure proper stick-age!

 

Once again, I can't get over how much I am enjoying this scent.

[PurringPulsar]

Crypt Queen

 

In the bottle: rich and fruity and earthy, with wine like tones. Reminds me of Mme Moriarty and Trick #2 with more fruit. No bubblegum whatsoever.

Wet on skin: oh yes, this is like Mme Moriarty, with the pom, plum and patch, but this is fruitier and also floral. No evil gardenia yet.

Dry on skin: mmm, this is gorgeous. I can smell pepper now, adding it's dark heat to the scent. This is earthy and gritty with rich red fruity floral tones to it. The patchouli is the same as Mme Moriarty's, that woodsy-smoky-incensy scent, though the pomegranate and plum may also be helping to make this smell like that. The pepper adds a spicy bite, I smell tangy raspberry, whilst I get a faint hint of something metallic-the blood note? It's not blatant, and it's not dragon's blood either. The floral notes are not as strong as the fruit, but I can definitely smell the rose in here. It reminds me of Trick #2 with it's fruit, patch, pom and pepper mix, and there's something almost like Blood Countess to this as well, though not as plummy…

After a while: this gets stronger-the throw increases and the fruit notes (especially pomegranate) become richer and redder in feel, crimson coloured, and the patch also strengthens. This is now like Mme Moriarty without the Snake Charmer-ish background, with rose instead of vanilla. I really love the combination of fruits and pepper in here, it reminds me of a chocolate bar with raspberry/strawberry and pepper, which I love, only this time there's no chocolate. There's also a metallic feel which in here also really works, it's like the metallic scent in Cracked Bell. This scent is darkly decadent and gorgeous. The scent gets smoother, a little sweeter, and even lovelier as it dries, with the patch and fruit merging wonderfully, with the pepper still adding it's crackling warmth. It becomes more and more like a peppery Mme Moriarty (without vanilla) as it dries, and I love that. I think I'm getting a little bit of musk now.

Verdict: I am so glad I got a bottle of this, because this scent is wonderful! I was worried by the blood and gardenia but luckily, in here, they both smell good, and the scent is a delightful mix of dark juicy fruit and fragrant flowers interred in earthy, smoky-incensey patchouli and sprinkled with pepper. It seems that Crypt Queen is the lovechild of Mme Moriarty and Trick #2. This is like Mme, the same pomegranate, plum and patch, but with flowers instead of vanilla, and a bit of spice and even something pleasantly metallic/gritty. It's almost like a fine red wine in feel, it is mature and robust. It also reminds me of Persephone with darker nuances, indeed, this scent is Persephone in the underworld. I love this luxurious and sinister scent, it smells confident as well, full of oomph, a delicious femme fatale fragrance which is just perfect for autumn, and it turns velvety and smooth over time as the notes blend. I bet it will age wonderfully too. I love this fragrance so much, and I love the little coffin!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? of course! This is fantastic.

If you like this, try: Mme Moriarty, Dark Delicacies, Blood Countess, Persephone, Trick #2

[YoakeNoKami]

Gorgeous. Utterly gorgeous. I was initially put off a little by the description "blood accord" but when it arrived, I was not disappointed.

 

In the bottle, a gorgeous deep red sort of scent, like abandoned altars and a dark kind of pride. Damp, berrylike, with a resin edge.

 

On/wet:

A bit flatter, with less of a sting to the resin. There's still a sort of bitterly resenful edge, but it warms a bit as it dries: a guarding, waiting sort of touch to it.

 

Drydown:

Sharp, angry resin, darkened halls, and the scent of roses which will never again see the light of day. It carries with it thoughts of memory, forgotten places and cooling, offeratory incense--a highstrung kind of assurance of station and a biting edge to little warmth; sultry darkness and lost offerings. Calm self assurance, cool arrogance, the weight of sealed doorways, the fragmented existence of dried rose petals, and the nearly-wistful memory of standing in the sun.

 

ETA: Roses. Please forgive me for waxing poetic.

Edited September 25, 2007 by YoakeNoKami

[jessiesquash]

It's interesting to hear what others get with the Queen, mainly because the variations are really, errr...varied. In the bottle I smell cedar and something medicinal, cough syrupy. It reminds me a lot of my mother because she has a gorgeous cedar chest where she keeps heirlooms and the scent of it tends to linger around her bedroom and in her quilts. There is something very old and precious about this scent but not in the old lady sense. This old lady is timeless and ageless, the kind of old lady you want to be.

 

On my skin, I don't get any of the fruit or flowers. In fact it's pretty much cough syrup and cedar on me until finally the cough syrup fades and I'm left with rich, gorgeous cedar and just a hint of greenery. The only downside to the Queen is that she is not very long lasting but I don't mind, she's gorgeous while she's there. I wore her to a concert and happily existed in a pretty haze of scent.

[Myotis]

Ahhh yes, Crypt Queen, how do I love thee.

Patchouli........

 

I LOVE this scent. However I was a itty bitty bit disappointed when the Queen decided to devour all the fruits and florals and burp up a mess made only of patchouli, pepper and blood all over me.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE the spicy patchouli/pepper/blood combo, but I was hoping some of the sweetness of the fruits would at least stand a chance.

I guess they just weren't loyal enough to be her royal subjects on my skin.

 

I still love the Queen though.

 

ETA: Nov 3

 

Today I tried on Crypt Queen once again. She was calling to me from my Flowertub/Tramp bath.

This time, she's more fruity, less pepper. Perhaps letting her settle in a bit was all she needed.

I still get that stingy sharpness of the blood accord in it along side the fruits as well.

I'm loving her even more than I did when she first arrived!!!

Edited November 3, 2007 by Myotis

[goddessrobyn]

Must Hoard This Scent!!!!!

 

HippieStink+Pepper+Pomegranate =

 

I was terrified of this at first since most things rose do not agree with me in any way shape or form (love the smell of fresh green roses but any attempt at creating the rose smell, even by Beth's Brilliance, is usually a chemistry catastrophe for me... even Rose Red turns nasty when she hits my skin) but I get no rose in this at all... and it's perfect

[shadesong]

In bottle: Pomegranate/patchouli. Rich. Deep.

 

On me: Huh. There's a bit of a plastic note to it. What is that? Maybe the rose musk, since I swear I've smelled everything else in here in different oils. Damn shame, because it's *really* nice in the bottle.

[copyshopclerk]

In the bottle - Dark, luscious fruits - raspberry, plum, pomegranate, and I'd swear there was something citrus in here, like blood orange, but there doesn't seem to be.

 

On - Briefly, about 20 seconds or so, it's gum - cherry flavored. Thankfully that settles down, and it smells more like it did in the bottle - fruit, but sensual. I can't pick out the patchouli or pepper at all, and there's a little bit of the rose (a note I generally don't care for) but it's behaving.

 

Dry - Here's an oddity: On my right hand, this is still the gorgeous fruit blend with a bit of pepper - really, really nice. On my left hand, it's rose and nothing else. Love it on my right hand, not so enthusiastic about the left. Must figure out how to keep it to the fruity side rather than the rose!

[theseagrows]

i took a risk trying this one, with all those fruits included, i wasnt sure i would like it, but i love the coffin and the whole aesthetic. plus the florals in it work with my skin chemistry. anyway, yeah it's fruity, with an underlying peppery-musk. it almost makes me want to sneeze a little due to the pepper. the fruit isn't TOO sweet, but it's definitely there. i don't seem to get much florals at all, and the patchouli is very subtle. this is a very autumnal scent, and i do like it, i'm just not sure it's something i would wear much because of the fruitiness. i'll probably have to try it 1-2 more times before i make a final decision.

[waternight]

In the bottle: Very fruity with a rose undertone. I get the pepper at the back of my throat if I huff it deeply.

Wet/Drydown: Bubble gum – with pepper on it! Weird. The pepper fades almost instantly, and the fruits slowly beat the bubble gum smell into submission. I’m starting to get the rose and the musk, which blend beautifully together, but the fruits are still majorly in charge here. The bubble gum smell has faded, but it’s not going away. To be fair, the pepper is here not as a note in its own right, but as a little kick that prevents this from being too smooth.

Dry: The bubble gum smell is mostly faded, but this is still way too candyish for me.

[Eemia]

I knew this would be beautiful, but it's even more so than I imagined it would be! The second I sniffed this inside the bottle I knew it would be a solid favorite forever. This is the kind of fragrance I adore and I immediately loved it. I'm not even going to put the bottle with my others in their box. I'm keeping the Queen in her coffin to sit on my desk. And the coffin?......gorgeously heavy, and ornate. I'm thrilled!

 

The barest hint of dark raspberries and plum and heavy rose musk greet me first. Not a syrupy or sweet fruit, just juicy and very, very subtle. No overwhelming bursts of fruitiness appeared, which I would have still liked but it wouldn't have won me over as much. Mostly this is dry, and antique smelling, musty in a lovely way. More musk than floral, and incredibly full bodied. The patchouli never takes over here. It stays firmly in the background giving the intenseness of the florals a nice balance. The pepper is so sultry and adds a vivid quality.

 

The scent hits its peak when it's mainly musk and regal, barely perceptible florals with a high, cold atmosphere. This is seamless and so complex. It felt special from the moment I put it on my wrists.

[Styx]

Crypt Queen (dark yellow oil??)

 

from bottle: earthy, spicey red fruit scent.

 

Skin: When its wet its sweet and fruity. I thought I would get more rose out of it, but it was more patchouli and fruit. As it dries it gets spicier, mustier and the sweetness tones down. A very sharp pepper bite - It is as if all the ingredients have been locked in a cage made of pepper.

After wearing the scent for half a day, it does get rounder on the edges, but maintains a kick.

Overall: spicy, dusty patchouli and fruit. Middle to heavy weight, lukewarm, and somewhat romantic.

 

The name "Crypt Queen" fits the scent perfectly. The mustiness does seem like what you would get from opening a 500 year old coffin, and the scent itself smells womanly and powerful.

I imagine a goth girl that dresses in red, not black wearing this.

[taramarie]

On me, Crypt Queen is dried moss and a hint of floral. She's a cousin of Allison Gross. I'll keep her (and her cute little coffin) and I hope aging will bring out more notes.