Faustus

[Nisaba]

An infusion of incalculable power and irresistible temptation. Truly an exercise in megalomania and self-gratification: frankincense and cinnamon, darkened by violet.

In the bottle - woody, spicy, can detect frankincense, and barely violet.

On me - Not sure what I'm smelling. Something deep, must be frankincense, and the odd whiff of dark cinnamon. There's also something is adding a touch of warm sweetness to the mix, violet I imagine. Like this a lot.

Drydown - I think I may have to drown in this. Deep, warm, soft smelling somehow. Intoxicating. Sensual. Sadly after 2 hours it had mostly faded away, but it was sooo lovely while it was here...

Oh my word how I this.

[joseybird]

The frankinsence is deep and rich and almost bitter, and lent a slight spiciness by the cinnamon. The violet comes out a little later on, but I couldn't identify it as such--just as a floral. A dark, bold blend, and feverish, but I can't get over the bitteness of the blend.

[anmorata]

Faustus:

Wet: all frankincense.

Drydown: ooh, spicy cinnamon and violets. Where did the frankincense go, though?

Longterm wear: This is a scent that I could see as a shampoo or bodywash, but not as a perfume scent. I doubt I'd wear it that often, so off it goes.

[sagitare]

Oooh, very, very interesting. There's a spiciness here but I also get a burst every now and then of something buttery and creamy. There's also a kind of a green bitterness in the background that gives it a kick. This is really, really good - very different. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. (I think, actually, the buttery/green smell might be the violet mixing it up with the other ingredients, because I do get a whiff of actual violet every now and then.)

 

ETA1: The violet has come to the front but it's not overly sweet - behind it is the softness of the frankinsense, which gives it a lovely powdery aspect. Really liking this one so far.

 

ETA2: seems to be fading after about 3-4 few hours, but still lovely.

 

This is a very unique blend, as others have mentioned. I was very curious as to how this would play out on me and I have to say I liked it a lot. I wish it hung around longer but it's so nice that I think I'll be getting a bottle and then layer it with lotion to give it a bit more kick.

 

I really like the smell of violets and have been looking for a nice violet blend for awhile - others that I've tried have paired the violet with other florals and the overall effect has been too floral-y for me. But this one allows the violet to come out without it being overwhelming. Faustus is an amazing blend!

[Shollin]

First sniff: I have no idea why – it’s not a sterile-clean scent by any means - but Faustus reminds me of hospital rooms.

 

Wearing: Murky-weird floral heaviness, like dying flowers strewn across a stagnant pond.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Mainly frankincense, but I can smell the violet and cinnamon as well.

 

Wearing: The frankincense dominates when wet, with just a tinge of cinnamon. As it dries, the violet comes out with a vengence - it becomes all violet with a tinge of cinnamon and a whisper of frankincense. As it wears, it becomes more powdery. This is a very long-lasting blend.

 

Final Impressions: I like the wet stage, but the violet quickly becomes a bit much for me. And I really dislike the powdery stage. I always thought I liked violets, but I'm beginning to think not so much...

[darkling]

This is the heaviest BPAL scent that I have ever tried. It has a lot of throw and it lasts a long time.

 

Faustus is dark frankinsence on my skin that blots out any lighter notes. There is something burning underneath that smells like black pepper.

 

This scent is very gloomy and too masculine for my tastes.

[Malista]

Faustus

 

Fascinating. On me, wet and dry, this smells like some form of molé. No chocolate, but edible, and the sort of sauce I’d love to use on chicken or even beef. Must be the cinnamon overwhelming the other notes, although it doesn’t smell like cinnamon so much as, well, a meat sauce or marinade.

 

Which is very cool, but not as a perfume.

[tinyvulture]

first impression: smells like a kitchen where coffee cake and other sweet spicy goodies are being made. it’s a little too sweet on me, but it’s perfect for my man. on him it becomes darker, richer, warmer, more complex. the frankincense is much more noticeable on him; it really rounds out the scent. perfect for him to wear on days when we are curled up together under a blanket, listening to a storm outside. this would also be nice as a room fragrance.

[nineveh]

Initially, this is a very strong, sharp frankincense--almost like cedar. I can't pick out the violet or cinnamon, but whereas Anne Bonny was warm frankincense on me, this has a sort of cold spiciness, which I suppose is the violet's contribution. I sniffed my wrist so much trying to figure out if I liked it that I gave myself a headache.

 

After time, this fades into a less nose-stinging scent and becomes warmer.

 

Faustus is very masculine, and while I won't get a bottle (this is definitely not an everyday scent for me), I will finish my imp.

 

edit: I found that diluting this into a spray keeps it from giving me a headache, and also makes it softer and prettier. I think that the spray helps balance the frankincense and violet. I still don't plan on getting a bottle, but the spray made me like it better and also makes it more wearable.

Edited June 26, 2005 by nineveh

[olympia301]

This was a freebie from the lab. I found it was a pleasant perfume. Enjoyed the powderyness and violets. The frankincense really doesn't come off as a beautiful part of the blend, sort of a resinous background that you have to put up with, but not horribly annoying.

 

I throughly enjoyed the reference to overwhelming megalomania, I even got a whiff of that from the blend.

 

An enjoyable scent, I will be keeping the imp. Is a bottle out there in my future? Well, bless my soul, I don't know about that but we'll see.

Edited May 20, 2005 by olympia301

[drugstore cowgirl]

I tried this on me. It smelled very much like frankincense almost all the way through. Very strong, but with a hint of what I'm guessing is the violets poking through. It was a happy scent for me, but due to the strength and personal reasons a very masculine one. I don't think I smell the cinnamon, although I am starting to suspect that my skin eats up the cinnamon that BPAL uses.

 

Now, I tried it on the boy and I want to jump him everytime he wears it. It's so strong and wonderful.

[Little Bird]

I tried this on without reading what notes were in it, wanting to see if I could guess. I definitely smelled cinnamon and something wonderfully familiar (yay, the frankincense that usually smells so good on my skin).

 

The closest that I could come to describing it besides "cinnamon and something awesome" was that this is like someone took the pure essence of 'pretty', crushed it up, and put it in a bottle. It's amazing. It's gorgeous. I sniffed my wrist and felt so sexy and powerful (megalomania indeed). This is so spicy, warm, and decadent.

 

Luckily for me, this blend stayed strong all day and the violet never came up (violet tends to hate me and smell soapy). It stayed a wonderful cinnamon and frankincense goodness.

 

Faustus just made its way up to a full bottle purchase in my next order.

[delicate_fangs]

(My body chemistry did weird and unfortunate things with this scent. I think maybe violet hates me.)

 

In the bottle: Huh. Weird. Liquor and... dishwashing soap? Smells disturbingly familiar.

 

Wet: Incense? Strange herbs! Wood? Hey, there's wintergreen climbing all over everything. It smells buzzy and snappy and zingy, kind of ozone-like. With a bizarre hint of locker room. This is a very strange perfume oil blend on me. I am not sure I like this ride.

 

Drying: Huh. Bubblebath, the cheap kind. Scary. No, wait, it's a flower! Or is it?

 

Later: Wintergreen? A whiff of smoky tobacco? Oh, now the flower's back.

 

Later: Herbs! Sharp weird green things. And a tiny bit of smoke. And the mint and flowers again. I think this is giving me the sneezes.

 

Later still: The green herb stuff has snuck up on the flower and is hitting it with a brick, while the mint is cheering.

 

I think my body chemistry is completely bewildered by this blend. I know my nose is. Faustus is clearly not for me. (Now if it smelled on me like Gounod's music sounds, that'd be different.) Into the swap pile it goes. *sigh*

[donsixgun]

This started off nice, with a spiced violet touch...but after a while, it dried into bathroom spray on me. Might be better on my sweetie, or it might make a nice house scent.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): This is smooth.

 

Just On: Smooth, and some flowers? This may sound odd, but I get a visual of green, with orange tickling the edges.

 

An hour or two later: Hmm, flowers.

 

Around 6 hours: Soapy herbs?

 

12 hours: Pretty much gone.

 

Overall: Stupid skin. It ruins a lot of great scents.

 

After reading other reviews: The spices certainly didn't make a grand appearance on my skin. I would have loved to get connamon, might have saved this all around for me.

[Caltha]

Faustus

 

This has such an unbearable acrid, harsh, "masculine" smell on me, I guess it's the frankincense since it's hardly the cinnamon or violet. I'd love to smell the cinnamon but I don't. In the beginning I feel a cloud of musty sweetness which I guess is the violet in the air, and the clash between sweet and acrid is quite interesting, but the acrid note never calms down and the sweetness dissappears. This is like an intolerable "fresh" and "green" (but really neither, just too much) men's cologne to me.

Edited September 6, 2005 by Caltha

[girlmadasbirds]

at first, all i got was frankincense and cinnamon... mmm! then the violet started creeping in...hmm. as it dried, it started smelling very soapy... like a clean 'man' smell. this one's not for me.

[telesilla]

I thought I'd try this because I like the violet in Morgause so much. Oddly enough, in spite of the name it's not listed as a masculine scent.

 

In the bottle and wet: I smell sandalwood, which is odd as it's not one of the listed notes.

 

Drying down: It's getting a little more resinous, but I'm still smelling something woody with a faint violet undernote. And there's very little cinnamon.

 

Dry: I think the cinnamon is starting to show, but the frankincense is still overpowering both it and the poor violet. It's not really working for me, it almost seems as though it clashes with itself on my skin; it can't decide if it wants to be floral or spicy or resinous and so it's just confused.

[Lilithlefay]

In the imp it smells very spicy and warm indeed. On the skin it is still spicy and warm but the violet comes through after a couple of minutes, but is still beat into submission by the spiceness of the blend. This scent is a little too masculine for me but I bet it would smell amazing on a guy. I just need to find a volunteer.....

[Tesseljoan]

Faustus is mainly Frankincense in the wet stages. It is still the dominant note when dry, but the violet is more noticeble, and since I associate violet with velvet (the cloth not the scent) it has a very luxurious aura. I *think* I smell cinnamon as well, but I'm not sure. There is a bit of sharpness in the scent which could be the cinnamon, or my skin chemistry.

[theseagrows]

so far, this is my least favorite bpal scent. it smelled like a freshly cleaned public bathroom- that strong cleaning product-scent. i was intrigued by cinnamon + violet, but hadn't ever tried frankincense, which i think was the overwhelming scent here. at least i know that i can't do frankincense now.

 

i tried to get see if i would like it once it dried, but it was so strong that i got a headache and had to wash it off.

Edited August 10, 2005 by theseagrows

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Frankincense, but something comes off a little bitter in here too

 

On me:

At first, like someone else has said - this made me smell like bathroom cleaner. It was kind of odd and turned me off to this scent pretty much right away. I don't know if it's the frankincense, or the combonation of these scents but something smells pine like, which is part of the bathroom cleaner smell.

A while later, it's clear to me that this is just the scent on me. It's not going to change.

 

Final note:

Bathroom cleaner. Yup.

[Ajila]

Wet on me this was a dark, bitter frankincense and like others have said there was something very reminiscent of toilet cleaner in the background. Actually this didn't bother me much as it was only an occassional waft. Dry on me it's warm and woody, I think the cinnamon is softening the frankincense a little. I brought this for the violet, which doesn't appear at all and whilst I like the dry down I doubt I'll be keeping it, because I think others do the same thing better.

[CapricornSister]

I've been trying scents for a few months but this is my first review

 

I LOVE this one. I got it as a frimp and am surprised I never ordered it on my own since I love frankincense and cinnamon.

 

Wet: I get mostly frankincense, but not as strong as the plain frankincense oil I've had for years. It's slightly spicey and warm.

 

Dry: It stays mostly true on me, a bit of sweetness in the background that could be the violet. I get no bathroom cleaner or soap, thankfully!

 

I can see the masculine side of this, but it's not too much where I won't wear it.

I love this and will get a big bottle