Midnight Kiss

[coldandsleepy]

Eternal desire, unquenchable passion: red musk, cocoa absolute, Nepalese amber, red sandalwood, aged patchouli, nicotiana, and blood wine.

In the imp: raisins ahoy! I feel a little like i'm being whacked with a raisin stick.

On me, wet: hey, there's something other than raisins in here! I'm getting cocoa notes too. The raisins are getting richer, and have sort of morphed into a delicious, sweet port scent.

On me, dry: the sandalwood, which i hadn't noticed when this was wet, finally emerges. The other notes mellow out significantly. The raisin/port scent subsides into a nice boozy scent that's sweet but not cloying. I get a waft of cocoa every now and again, and it's quite pleasant. But it's mostly sandalwoody.

Throw and duration: my husband can smell it a foot or two away, so decent throw. I've worn it maybe half a dozen times (i keep forgetting to review it promptly after wearing, and don't want to trust my memory) and it's lasted at least 10 hours every time, so i get great duration from it.

Overall: fun scent, but not really my bag. For whatever reason, it smells teenager-y to me. (Which i guess makes sense since it's a Shojo Beat smell.)

What i find amazing about this scent is that it features two things i hate-- patchouli and musk-- yet i really think it's an extremely pleasant smell. I didn't even know there was patchouli in it until just now. Sheesh. Nice work, lab.

[Poenari]

I'm a major chocoholic, but as much as I love eating chocolate, I've learned that I hate smelling like it. So even though I was excited to received frimps of Midnight Kiss twice from the lab, I put them right into my imp box for future swapping. Fear of the cocoa kept me from even trying it. Last night I was in the mood to try something new, and thought what the heck, let's do it! Midnight Kiss it is. Well, this is not at all what I expected on my skin! This is all warm sandalwood, musk and patchouli, with a hint of boozy berries. And none of the feared chocolate! I can smell the cocoa in the vial, but it does not come out on my skin at all. I applied before going to bed, and can still smell it on my wrists this morning. This is a lovely scent, and I will now be keeping my frimps, but I have enough other similar scents that I won't need a bottle.

[edenssixthday]

Midnight Kiss – This is dark and heavy, like coagulating blood under dark skies. It’s a very strong and sexy scent that I imagine can be worn easily by men and women alike. While I don’t normally like chocolate notes, the chocolate in this scent is unsweetened, and it blends amazingly well with the patchouli, amber, and red musk to create a scent that’s dark and almost depraved. It’s dark and heavy on me in the way that Trick #2 was dark and heavy, if you’re familiar with that scent. I really like it, but I think it’s a bit too heavy for me and not something I would find myself wearing regularly, although I do think it is an exquisite scent. The throw is moderate and the staying power is quite long.

[willowtreeling]

I like this--it smells slightly dirty/ musky and slightly sweet. for some reason I assumed it had dragon's blood in it, but I don't think it does. My mom smelled it on me and said it smelled like a Kool-Aid packet....I thought it had a tinge of violet in it, too, which it doesn't seem to. Hmm...what a mysterious scent! It finally dries to sort of a powdery smell. I like it; I don't think I will buy a bottle but my imp is staying with me--it's been officially sorted into the "M" section (I use a bead box for my imps and alphabetize them!)

[aquazoo]

Starts with wine. It has some nice spicy elements. It’s weakening fast, though, and there are similar scents I like better that last longer on me.

[Stormslegacy]

In the imp: Not particularly impressive. Fruity.

 

Wet: fruity. A berry-type fruity but I can smell a hint of the musk.

 

drying: my nose keeps dying so it takes a sec to refresh. I can smell the wine-type notes but mostly dark berries that remind me of deep, velvety reds.

 

Dry: A small hint of fruityness, the musk and the amber take hold and run. Lovely. It blends well with my own scent and seems to use it to its advantage.

 

Every time I think it's disappeared, I turn my head, or there's a breeze and I feel as though it is lightly tapping my shoulder. I love this. It's almost as good as my favorite--Blood Amber.

 

I need a bottle. Not want, Need!

[aestien]

Bottle: wow this is sweet, but there is something else going on underneath

Wet: this blend feels very pink to me, very much a cute anime girl scent, probably because the wine goes so candy sweet on me, and yet, the other notes really create a great dark undertone

Dry: sweet wine, a hint of warm amber, cocoa, and the vanilla of the nicotiana. Underneath, sandalwood and patchouli, I don’t get a lot of musk.

 

I don’t usually like the wine notes, as they amp to candy sweetness on me, but the other notes temper this nicely, making the wine closer to the currant in Eat Me. I’ll keep it around to see how much I end up actually wearing it, but a very fun blend to try.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Red musk and patchouli

 

Wet on me – Sweet thick red musk, backed by swarthy patchouli

 

Dry on me – Deep red musk with hints of cocoa

 

Overall – On me this is a dead ringer for the Great Sword of War, which is one of my favourite blends. So whilst it’s good I don’t feel a desperate need to track down more

[binaryfaerie]

Midnight Kiss reminds me very much of Blood Kiss, but without the smokiness present (which was the only thing I didn't like about Blood Kiss.) I was afraid I wouldn't like this one because of the chocolate, but it really blends well with the other notes, so it stays in the background. All in all, I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I do! It's quite lovely.

[Nightroad103]

In the bottle: Patchouli and nicotiana -- I can't smell anything else, at all.

 

On me: The sandalwood and blood wine come out with the scent, I can't pick up the amber on me, and the patchouli and nicotiana are still strong. After an hour or so, the patchouli and nicotiana had faded somewhat, leaving a musky sort of smell. It's a very sexy smell, one that I'd have to reserve for an evening out.

[oldgentleman]

I got this as a frimp.

 

Imp: It was horrible at first sniff - the scents of candy and crowds of tweenies in cheap perfume. So I put it back in the imp box for a few months...

 

Wet: the notes are now delightfully discernable - baking chocolate, boxed red wine, sandalwood and patchouli, and amber are all distinct! Whiffs of cheap fun and wafts of the exotic: it really does fit the Shojo Beat theme.

 

Dry: Aging did wonders for this. It's gone from ick status to wow status The dry down is chocolate-dipped fruit on top of a mild sandalwood/patchouli. Not an every-day scent, but I regret that I only have a imp of it.

 

End of day: it hung on for about 5 hours and then petered off; but up close my wrist still smells delicious.

[Suu4LC]

In the imp I definitely get the cocoa, red musk, wine and patchouli. I'm...not sure these all mix together very well. Cocoa and patchouli...egghhh...It's like dropping a piece of chocolate in some red wine and then rolling it in the dirt...let's see how this works on my skin!

 

OOF...patchouli and musk and sandalwood are amping hardcore! I only get teeny whiffs of the chocolate but it is losing the fight to be noticed! Nooo! I also was don't do well with sandalwood, and this is no exception. I love she smell of sandalwood when it ISN'T on my skin. Oy, I don't even know exactly how to describe this. It's just weird. I'm going to let it completely dry and see if I can make some sense of it!

 

Nope, this isn't gonna work on me. It smells alright from far away, but up close it's just kind of a mess. This is just such an odd combo to me. And unfortunately, the sandalwood has almost entirely taken over, as it always does on my skin. Off to the swaps you shall go.

Edited February 27, 2008 by Suu4LC

[alsatia]

Expectations: Musky incense.

 

In vial: Cocoa and wine. I wouldn't mind if it stays like this.

 

On skin, wet: Still cocoa and wine, but with a hint of the other scents. It's cocoa powder, not syrup.

 

On skin, dry: The cocoa faded a bit, and I'm getting something leafy. Could that be the nicotiana? Also there's a hint of sandalwood.

 

After time: It's been a lovely hot cocoa with a few drops of booze, and I'm almost ashamed to admit I had my nose pressed against my arm, sighing in ecstasy. Then at 30 minutes, there it was...a whiff of baby powder. NO! After another 10 minutes, the baby powder went away, but so did the cocoa and it's now the musky incense I expected initially. At the 1 hour mark, it's a bit smoky, with no more booze or cocoa.

 

Conclusion: How disappointing. This was fabulous when wet, but as it dried it got progressively worse. It doesn't smell offensive dry, just not all tasty and lustworthy.

[sadtomato]

first sniff -> boozey. i was a bit intimidated at first, thought this was going to make me smell like i'd had a long, hard night in some local bar...yet, at the same time it was sweet and comforting and yummy.

 

on wet -> still boozey, but more sweet and warm with boosey undertones, this was really starting to grow on me.

 

dry -> mmmm. yummy. i don't smell like i was up all night partying at all. i just smell decadent and tastey. this is rich and dark. the boozeyness of it tempers the sweetness of it and vice-versa. together they mingle and make something divine.

i really like this one and am glad i gave it a go even though i first found it intimidating.

[brit_brat100]

Imp: Chocolate and cherries.

Wet: I get hints of the evil patchouli, but I think I can ignore it.

Dry: This is literally bitter-sweet. My nose twinges, but then it's quite nice. Beth is an absolute artist with balance.

[seamor]

Wet: Not at all what I expected. Cigarette smoke over cherry sweetness. I’m standing in a smoky casino with a sweet fruity drink in my hand (something with lots of grenadine) and somebody near me is wearing a little girl's cherry perfume.

 

Dry down: I smell the nicotiana flower sweetening the blend, but the cigarette smoke throw is almost overpowering. Or is it a cherry blend pipe tobacco?

 

Not finding the other notes. I think I find a hint of red musk, but I'm going to have to wash this off right now, as it is giving me a sore throat and a headache.

 

Casinos pretty much always do that to me.

 

Amazingly evocative scent, but very definitely not for me.

 

Into the swap pile with it.

[Ciircee]

In the bottle: Drunk cocoa!

 

Wet: Ohhhh--chocolate and cherry with a bit of liqueur

 

Dry: I love this scent! Love! The 'eternal desire' and 'unquenchable passion' really fit the way this smells on me. It's sweet, yet dark--it satisfies AND leaves this empty-yearning feeling when sniffing it. I thought the cocoa, patchouli, and amber would make it a candy-tween-y scent but the wine and nicotina and musk really grows it up. Limited Edition? I might need another bottle. And to try its companion scent.

[donnatron]

Imp: Cocoa powder and patchouli soaked in wine.

 

Wet: Sweet patchouli.

 

Dry: Really lovely. The cocoa and patchouli balance each other, the nicotiana flower adds a dusky, smoky sweetness, and the wine turns to a heady berry scent. This is really dense and lustrous.

 

Throw: Good to excellent.

 

Overall: Mmm.... I really like this. However, I can't shake the feeling that there is another scent in the GC catelogue that smells exactly like this on me. I'm glad to have the imp, though, and it may get a good space in my scent rotation.

[Ishtar]

The notes in Midnight Kiss sounded so interesting that I ordered it right after it was launched. Alas, it really did not agree with my skin when I received it. Too sharp, with an underlying sourness that I suspect came from the wine note.

 

Off to the Swap box it went.

 

And it sat there until I tried it again today after reading a discussion about how it aged.

Admittedly, my expectations were pretty low at that point, but I think that no matter what, I would have been impressed with how much Midnight Kiss has improved!

Smooth, warm, complex, it is good. The most prominent notes are now tobacco (the nicotiana), cocoa and musk, in that order. Both the wine and the patchouli seem to have decided that subtlety was a good thing after all; they happily hang out in the background with the amber and the sandalwood, making for a well-rounded blend.

 

Wow. The good news is, obviously, that Midnight Kiss has become incomparably nicer with age. The distressing news is, how will I ever be able to decide to part with a bottle again, when a little aging can turn things around this dramatically? Methinks this spells trouble!

[akuaa]

a frimp, yay! i smell like applepeach. i do not like the smell wet. i guess it's the musk. i don't know, but it doesn't smell good to me in the vial. it has a liquor smell to it. and applepeach like a decaying strong perfumed flower. i think the decay is partially the cocoa. or the musk. it smells much nicer warmed and mellowed on the body, but not one for me. others have called it cherries, and perhaps cherries is more accurate than "applepeach", but applepeach is what came to mind

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Sweet foody incense. Dark, spicy, musty.

[quigza]

in the bottle: a cocoa dusted fruit plate. I have no better words for it. I don't know why, but I get something that reminds me of pineapple in the fruit plate, as well as obvious grapes

 

Wet: A little less fruit plate, more cocoa, patchouli & a hint of the sandalwood

 

Dry down: cocoa, sweet pipe tobacco, patchouli, a little more sandalwood, the fruit plate is very faint.

 

 

This starts girly and ends up something I'd like to smell on a man. I love this for the cocoa not throughout, and I like the scent of pipe tobacco. So, it's really nice. It's odd the wine note was interpreted as fruit plate to me. But, it's probably the sweetness tripping me up.

[couscous]

Wow...just like the manga this may have been inspired by, Midnight Kiss is surprisingly heavy under a veil of pretty susbstantial sweet. It starts out with that sharp, sour red wine note that you can find in Nosferatu or Centzon Totochtin .

 

It's also got a strongly medicinal smell to it at this point, almost like juniper but not quite. Is that the patchouli?

 

As it dries, I'm getting undeniable pipe tobacco, much like Dia de Los Muertos 05. It keeps threatening to become too sweet and headache-inducing for me, but so far, so good. There has been an impression of cocoa running through the scent the whole time. It never quite gets to the front of the line, but it's always there. As far as raisins go... I wouldn't have said so, but I can see it now. Yum, raisins!

 

Finally, it dries down to a sweet patchouli blend- but this is 6 hours later, and you should know that Midnight Kiss smells as potent on me now as it did early this morning. That's a long time to stick around at nearly 100 percent! Put this on with a micro drop, because if you hate it you're going to have a hard time getting it off you.

 

I bought this scent hoping for a cousin to my beloved Cerberus, and this one just barely slides in to fit the bill. It's no replacement, but there's some resemblance here somewhere- enough to make me really glad I got it. This one shouldn't be a surprise to many. Beth is pretty much putting it out there- patchouli, nicotiana...this isn't a blend for the faint of heart! Hopefully, you know whether or not you enjoy these types of fragrances.

 

If you do, this one is lovely , and definitely worth your money.

Edited May 16, 2008 by couscous

[dansemacabre]

I was lucky enough to find this scent on ebay. I am a big lover of red musk and it sounded interesting that other's described the cocoa/chocolate smell to this.

 

On my skin, it really does kind of smell like Cherry Cola, but not in a bad cloying way. I really try not to over do it with this fragrance because it can easily become annoying because of the 'soda' smell, but just a teeny drop in key places (cleavage, neck, and inside of elbows) is enough to allow the fragrance to breathe without becoming overwhelming. The red musk in this though really shines through.

[Lamia]

This is GOOD! In the bottle it's this week's painfully nasty sour stink, but once on skin it transforms. Every time I snuffle, it's different, and always good. Hot damn, an amber scent that works on me! The dominant notes (once it's settled) are musky sandalwood and a fruit (the amber? the wine?)