The Ace of Spades Report post Posted January 15, 2005 (edited) ... Their scent is the crisp, inviting bittersweet tang of cranberry with smoky dark lilies, heady, sensual musk, a tingle of ginger and a brush of Mediterranean spices. First sniff: Musk, spice, and cranberries. Heady. On application: cranberry... ooh, cranberry -- plus spice, a bit of floral, and something deeper (the musk). The lilies are not overwhelming, which is a big plus, and the diverse notes seem to meld in an odd but scrumptious sort of symphony - each comes to the front a little in turn. After drydown: You know, I think I may have to give up on my 'no florals' party line when it comes to BPAL, because I've tried several blends with a floral note and wound up loving them. This one is on the list. Lampades has a sweet/tart edge to it, and a lovely lingery spiciness that floats over the rest. It smells more like flower nectar as a cocktail, mixed with spicy things and a touch of squeezed cranberry. I can see this one being saved for those moments when I really would like to smell a bit unusual, but still lovely. It does tend to be distinct from other scents I've smelled, but it's not in-your-face.ETA, reluctantly: As much as I love the smell, after about 45 minutes, I wound up with raw inner nostrils and a headache that wouldn't quit. Even Advil wouldn't cut into it, until I did two passes with some isopropyl alcohol on my wrists. Blast, rats, damn! I like this one... Edited November 3, 2005 by Shollin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Finny Report post Posted January 15, 2005 Mmmm... cranberry. On first application I smell cranberry, tart, juicy cranberries. As it dries the musk softens the berry. The ginger, musk, and floral in the background really make this so beautiful. It smells sweet and tart, with an underlying grounding spiciness. Love this one, I have to have a big bottle of this for next fall. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sethra Report post Posted January 20, 2005 Wet: It smells gorgeous, I love the cranberry. But upon drydown: I mostly smell musk with a hint of floral and cranberry. Sigh. Seems like maybe anything with musk in it, the musk takes over. Argh. Will try this again a time or two, because it smells so lovely at first and in the bottle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phaedrine Report post Posted January 23, 2005 With the musk, ginger and spice, I figured I'd love this one. I'm even pretty keen on cranberries, though I can't say I've ever tried to wear them as a perfume. In the vial, I got a sweet, somewhat spicy smell that was very encouraging. The moment it started to dry on my skin, however, it all went to hell. The lilies took over, I guess, and make a sickly-sweet mess of the whole thing. It didn't drive me as far as to wash it off, but I did decide not to wear it again. Fourteen hours later, as I was getting ready to fall asleep, I noticed my wrists smelled good. Like cranberries. Just plain cranberries. After fourteen hours, it got perfectly tolerable....a bit too long for me to wait. :/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anaethema_x Report post Posted January 26, 2005 Bottle: Spicy and dark...my kinda scent! Wet: Wow...this morphed! in a good way...its soft, deep and dark, fruity (cranberries) musk must have mellowed it from becoming overpowering. not spicy...its so beautiful. its blended so well. dry: this is sooooo pretty! lightly floral, lightly fruity, light spicy lightly musky....its a perfect combinati0on of all of them. i cant wait to get a large bottle. it blends into my skin making it seem like its a part of me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UltraViolet Report post Posted February 1, 2005 It's been about 30 minutes and it still there going strong. I don't know if cranberry is the perfect description for what it smells like one me wrist, maybe more like strawberry/cherry/rasberry all together. It's sweet, sweeter than Swank and Akuma I think. And it has that "creamy" kind of fruit smell on the dry down like Red Queen does. It definitely has more staying power than Akuma and almost as much staying power as Swank. It has a good amount of throw. It's not as "citrus fruity" nor as "bright" as Akuma and not as "lipstick scented" as Swank but more "candy" like but with that same Swank like touch of spice that givesit a sexiness. I would buy another imp but maybe not a bigger bottle just yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
voodoobaby Report post Posted February 1, 2005 In the bottle: Very, very deep and dense cranberry. Mmm, tartness. This is the actual berries, not the juice. Wearing: OK, this is really odd, but I smell wood. In fact, the wood smell actually pushes the cranberries out of th way. The final result is a spicy, tart woodsy smell that reminds me of a forest in autumn. It's pretty consistent and lasts a while. Will keep the imp. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sun_set_bravely Report post Posted February 3, 2005 (edited) In the bottle: Very sweet, kind of reminiscent of the bathroom freshener smell at an old office building I worked at in the summer 1999. Wet, on skin: sweet but sharp; somewhere in there there's a hint of fall leaves; I can taste it at the back of my tongue when I smell it; it fills the air thickly around me. 1.5 Hours on skin: Too sweet right now for me. Drydown: (didn't try it) Conclusion: It smells too much like that bathroom scent for me ever to wear it. Edited November 3, 2005 by Shollin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tempete Report post Posted February 4, 2005 Lampades is spicy cranberry when wet, and as it dries down, the spices (and ginger) fade away so that the scent becomes faintly spicy cranberry on me. The musk is probably reining in the fruitiness of the cranberry note, but it's definitely not dominant. If this scent was muskier (like Bewitched), I'd probably keep it, but right now I smell too much like a cranberry candle so it's off to the swap pile. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
requieminblack Report post Posted February 16, 2005 First sniff from the bottle- Smells just like a cranberry scented candle. After 10 minutes- I am still getting the cranberry candle smell, but now it is spicier. There is a hint of something floral in there too. Is that the lily? After 30 minutes- Wow, this really morphed. the cranberry is totally gone. Now I am getting a lovely aquatic lilies with a hint of ginger. As it fades it turns into a vanilla/cream scent. Summery I think I will keep this one. It is really unusual! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
laochodia Report post Posted February 19, 2005 In the bottle: grapes? this smells like a rasin for some reason... wet: this smells exactly like cranberry sauce cooking...a perfect tart cranberry with hints of sweetness. dry: it smells of dried cranberries, a light boquet of gentle flowers (lily definitely in there) and spiced wine or cider. Yum. final: this smells too much like food for me, so into the swap bin it goes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tesseljoan Report post Posted February 23, 2005 This has a lovely top note of fruity, juicy cranberries, but I think it's the musk that's just too heady and heavy for me. When it dries down, it just drowns out any fruitiness or spice there could have been. Not my thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkitysnark Report post Posted February 23, 2005 Lampades This one reminded me of Kabuki somewhat, maybe just because of the color. I'm getting the same mouth-filling fruitiness but this is much less candy-like. In the bottle: Berries? Fruit and dark musk. Wet: Bright fruity explosions, the musk recedes. Drydown and later: This one pretty much stayed the same after initial application, not much morphing at all. It's a fruity scent with a touch of something darker to curb any candy-like tendancies. Loved it in the bottle, but on me this is a little flat and uninteresting. Up for swaps with ya! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oatmealneko Report post Posted February 25, 2005 I got zero florals out of this one. Lampades was tart cranberry & musk on me. Tart cranberries that didn't fade or disappear within a half hour of applying on my skin. The musk was a little strong on me, but it's always like that for a good 10 minutes until it dries out. The best thing about this scent was that the cranberries never turned sweet, but they remained tart. There's been quite a few oils with berry in them that have turned sweet on me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
misfitroxy Report post Posted March 1, 2005 Oh my [deity of choice]. I think I may have found it. Not an exact replica, but something non-LE to use as a daily wear oil in place of my beloved Hunter Moon. Joy! While wet in the imp, it’s both tangy and smoky, maybe even herbal. Initially my skin takes the incense and runs with it. But it’s not an overbearing, heavy incense smell, just a light musk more like sandalwood. The tangy bits of the cranberry emerge and I think they help give the oil its wine-like effect that I’ve come to associate with HM. The spice from the ginger adds to the complexity of the scent in the most subtle of ways, acting more as a black pepper note that’s almost dusty instead of the brightness one normally finds with ginger scents. The only downside I’m detecting so far is that my skin appears to be eating it. It’s fading faster and faster as I sit with it until I’m just getting the slightest sweet smoke aroma when I check back. Just means I’ll need to order a bit ole bottle for lots of reapplications, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
reina Report post Posted March 2, 2005 (edited) On application, this smells fruity, I get this berry thing that smells a bit like grapes. It smells a bit like vitamin chews, the chalky kind that kids get - not gummy-bear style. then I get a floral. it isn't really dry on me, so I'll have to add more to this post later on. ETA: now that this dried out, the chalky bit has gone, the berry stays, the floral gets a little more room to show itself in. No ginger there. I'm not entirely sure what musk smells like. Anyway, the berry is the dominant note. it's nice, definitely more pleasant than Wanda for example, but still not something I imagine I can wear. I'll give it to someone who'll appreciate it more than I do. Edited March 2, 2005 by reina Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HappyLoveJoy Report post Posted March 9, 2005 Lampades This starts off nice. Bright, tart cranberry that reminds me of the same fruitiness of Carnivale and Hollywood Babylon. This one starts to become like the scent of a holiday candle that has yet to be lit. Not liking this as much as I'd expected. All I'm getting is a plasticky or waxy fruit smell. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kate Report post Posted April 6, 2005 Lampades This one was very dark and mysterious in the vial and smelled somewhat vaguely of red wine without the dryness. When put on, the cranberry came out strong, which was heavenly. After a little wear I got more of the musk and perhaps the lilies wafting through. It seemed one moment I sniffed my wrist I got cranberry, the next muskiness. After a while I did get the ginger coming through very faintly mingled with the cranberry as a spiciness that tingled my nose. I felt what I describe as "new agey" wearing this because it smells like one of those shops, but when I was reading another review I found a better description - something like a candle shop, but in a good way. I like this scent a lot, the fresh pop of cranberries is amazing, but I think it might serve better as a room scent for my purposes. Definitely worth a try though and I will be ordering a larger bottle soon! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TigerLadyTX Report post Posted April 22, 2005 Dabbed a bit on the back of my hand about two hours ago. My first thought when wet was, "hmmm.. smells like something familiar". And I did not mean "cranberries". Let it dry down for awile, and it still smells familar! But hard to place. Then as I am speaking to a customer on the phone, it hit me that I was smelling incense. Not incense as a note, but stick incense like you buy at the store. Strawberry incense to be precise. I asked my cubicle mate what it smelled like to her as I waved my hand under her nose. "Strawberry incense" she says... So I know it was not just me. I cannot see myself wearing this one. Into the oil burner pile with this one. ~Tiger Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mmcfa2 Report post Posted April 23, 2005 There is that darned berry scent again! This is a bayberry scented candle on me and nothing else, had to wash it off Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gangstaknitta Report post Posted April 24, 2005 In bottle:: it smells musky for sure...I don't get a distinct cranberry note, but the mixture of the cranberry and ginger gives me a citrusy undertone Wet: I can smell the ginger and the musk...not so sure about this. I'm not a huge fan of ginger anywhere other than in my curry. Dry: This smells very chemical-y on me...a little like a mild disinfectant. Hubby wrinkled his nose at it. Oh well. I wasn't sure if I'd like it anyway, but I thought I'd be a sport and give it a try. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
orangepaas Report post Posted April 24, 2005 I'm a big fan of this one. To me, it's like a toned-down version of Vixen(must be the ginger?), plus that berry note that is easily not noticed if you're not paying attention. I would say it's like Vixen the morning after a night out, faded away (it's really light on the skin). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Essay 28 Report post Posted May 6, 2005 In the bottle: spicy, intriguing berries. On skin initially: strong cranberry (the real fruit warmed from the sun on the tree, not the overly tart scent of the juice), with a hint of spice and something darker (musk, I believe). After an hour: the fruity tartness of the cranberries merges with the darker note, giving it a heady, addictive scent. I can still smell a bit of spice, but the dominant is definately the musky, not-quite-floral cranberry. A keeper. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
magikfanfic Report post Posted May 10, 2005 In the bottle: Umm...musk and spice are both very promient in there. I kinda don't want to put it on because it scares me. It's very, very strong in the bottle. Let me check and see what part of my hand is the most scent free. Wet: Cranberry and musk. The musky cranberry of doom coming to eat your soul. This is...powerful and yet not as strong as I had imagined it would be. It has a very sharp bitterness to it, though, that's going to get it tossed into the swap pile if the musk doesn't. Dry down: Ew. Now it's all musk and spices and something elese...um...maybe those dark lilies. Whatever it is, though, it does not like my skin. It fact, I'm quite convinced that it hates my skin very, very much. Well...the cranberry is resurfacing but that odd musky/spice smell is there under the surface, lurking. Dry: This is just not for me. It's a very interesting blend but the overall combination will not work on my picky skin. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
L-z_Empress Report post Posted May 11, 2005 In the vial, it smells tart and smoky and when wet on my skin it smells the same as in the vial. As soon as it dries down, it turns into this smoky, spicy, berry scent. It's really nice, but also very light. I can't smell if after about 5 minutes though (despite my slathering of 3/4 of an imp) which is a shame because I would buy a 5 ml of this if it lasted longer on me....Someone in my office said I smell like a Glade room freshner. I think I am insulted. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites