The Red Queen

[urbanmaenad]

Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant.

The Red Queen

In imp: bright cherries and just a bit of currant, fresh with slightly candied edge, but not overly medicinal. No cough syrup for me.

Wet: cherries against a very faint background of chocolate and a touch of soft, dry wood.

Drydown: pretty much instantly, this turns to almost straight wood (probably me, amping like crazy) — definitely a smooth, polished wood — eclipsing the cherries almost entirely.

Dry: the cherries are back (just barely), a very faint presence around the edges of the wood. There is a very cedar-like tone to the wood itself (I’m not too familiar with mahogany, so I may just be making the closest comparison). This is a very smooth blend - there doesn’t seem to be any infighting. Very suitable for the lab’s description, and a polished, sophisticated scent once it passes the initial blast of fruitiness.

Verdict: I wore nothing but the Body Shop’s woody sandalwood for years, until my chemistry (or their formula) changed and we became totally incompatible. I have been searching for something to take its place for a long time, and I had high hopes for the Red Queen. Unfortunately, on me this blend has almost no throw, and fades to a barely detectable skin scent within 20 minutes of application — so from a purely practical standpoint, it would require constant reapplication or a total dousing to achieve the results I want: moderate throw and at least a few hours between applications.

That said, in the few moments before this completely disappears into my skin, it is a really beautiful, calming, comfortable scent that I am totally enamored with. Maybe it’s time to throw practicality out the window!

[crebbsgirl]

Wet, this is smooth woods and.... paint thinner? There is an oddly "chemical" smell here that I can't quite decipher. As it dries, the sharp smell goes away and I'm left with smooth woods and dark fruits. This isn't necessarily juicy, like most blends containing fruit notes go on my skin, but it's a little sweeter than I usually like my scents. The woods help prevent this from going to girly. I like it, but I don't see myself reaching for it very often.

[rayvn1]

Another review following the lovely crebbsgirl I have to say this worked fabulously on me! I'm always leery of fruit notes, especially cherry, but currant usually works pretty well. On wet this is dark, juicy fruit but a rush of dusty cedar forest come through and dominates almost immediately. Eventually they settle into an odd pairing, but dark and lovely. This is trying to sneak its way into my permanent stash...

[tajana]

Fresh out of the imp this is a blast of pure maraschino cherry! As it dries down the cherry deepens into pure dark red cherry, almost alcoholic in its intensity. As it dries down the mahogany really takes over. Mahogany wood is unmistakably at the center, though I also get cedar. The wood is dark, polished, luxe and almost smoky. The cherry colors it red, but doesn't really sweeten it, hence the unisex feel. After a while on the skin the sweet currants and dark cherry reassert themselves and balance more with the woods.

 

I don't know why I passed over The Red Queen for so long! I think it's because somewhere I saw someone recommend it as a scent appropriate for an older woman, so I jumped to the conclusion that this was going to be somehow stuffy or matronly. Not so! It's regal for sure, but in an ageless, classy, slightly androgynous way. I'm fairly confident that this little imp will stay with me until I use it all up: I love cherry, I love woods, and this is a great scent... too haughty for everyday wear, but I'll find appropriate times to dab this on!

[GeorgeJr]

I swear I'm getting something like vetiver from this . Could be me though , as in my body has been having some kind of rash the last couple of days ( no idea what from ) & it may be affecting how this smells too me . When I first got this as a frimp it was all cherries & lovely shiny wood . Now though I am getting something of a smokiness that is bringing to mind vetiver . Maybe I should wait to try this out again later when I'm done going through whatever is causing my issues . It's not a bad smell , but it really doesn't smell anything like I remember it the first time I tried it out .

[b94new]

i was SURE the first thing i smelled was almond!

[devilot]

In the vial: Holy moly maraschino cherry! I really can't stand this. I've never been a fan of cherry scents (though oddly enough, I love love love the actual fruit). This imp reeks of cherry. It burns the nose! It burns!

 

Verdict: I am not even gonna bother skin-testing this. *shudders* Just way too much cherry and even if the other notes come out upon application? I'm not a huge fan of woods. Thanks, but no thanks! Away w/ ye!

[March]

Red Queen was a frimp from the generous Sunshinedaisybliss!

 

In the imp and wet on skin, the Red Queen smells like really fake cherry candy to me. Or maybe cherry ice-cream, which doesn't smell or taste like cherry at all.

 

Only a few minutes later, a scent comes through that reminds me of cedarwood, only darker. The cherries are almost gone at this point.

 

I'm hoping they come back!

 

Ah, yes, they do. There they are!

 

I applied only lightly this time - scared of the plastic cherry attack! - but I think next time I'll go for a full dose and enjoy this very unperfumey perfume.

 

Second try: Yes, this is very nice when applied in a normal dose, and has a nice long wearlength.

 

 

[Gardenia]

Oh man, this is alllll mahogany on me. Mahogany smells good, but isn't especially something that I would personally like to smell like. Although, I wonder if it could be used to scent some of my wooden craft store boxes..

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Wow, that's a powerful cherry! Really red and juicy and dark and very, very cherry, darkened further by an undertone of… vetiver, is that you?!? Who invited you to this party? Seriously, there's something sharp, dark and bitter-earthy paired with the cherry here, which is how vetiver smells to me when it behaves. I could also believe it was bitter cocoa, but I'm betting it's the mahogany. The dark red earthy-cherry-ness reminds me of both Blood Kiss and Love-Lies-Bleeding.

On, wet: Very red, very fruity and sort of dangerous. The red fruit is out in front, but the mahogany note is just beneath, darkening this considerably, adding a touch of sternness. There's still some sharpness here. It is a rich and regal sort of scent, and the more I sniff this, the more I keep getting the image of dark, well-oiled wood, glowing with polish.

On, dry: This turned so lovely! It was interesting before, but now it's gleaming and sleek—deep red and elegant and sweetly woody. It doesn't smell at all like Blood Kiss or Love-Lies-Bleeding now, and that trace of vetiver is totally gone, as the mahogany and polished woods have smoothed out and come front and center. There's still a lovely tinge of deep cherry and currant, but it isn't overpowering at all; it's just accenting the woods. Very well blended, almost satiny.

Later: Glossy woods, with a touch of cherry. More dry and woody than fruity, but pleasantly sweet. Very pretty.

Overall: I love cherries and currants and woods, but the imp scent of this is so strong that it's almost a bit scary—it struck me as almost slightly medicinal, so I can understand why some people were scared off. But after applying this, I really really like this one and the way it develops into that shining wood scent, glazed with a hint of red fruit. It's very much worth waiting a bit after applying and letting Red Queen shine when she's ready. It's elegant and dark, but really smooth and polished. It's the sort of scent I associate with a very smart, classy and capable woman--maybe a little strict, but then, strict women can be sexy, can't they?

Edited June 4, 2009 by Bluestocking

[odalisque]

In the vial and wet, this is uncanny rich syrupy cherry jam ... in a wood box. Yup.

 

It goes through an unfortunate but brief cherry-cough-syrup stage, before settling into the wood notes, like unpacking a crate of fine wood furniture. Nice, but not for me.

[naeelah]

This has tons of cherry in the imp, and on skin it starts out going through a somewhat disgusting cough syrup-like phase. I don't think all cherry scents smell like cough syrup, but here there is a distinct similarity. The cherry DOES have a definite purple edge. I can smell the lab's usual cherry note here, but it's twisted to smell like a black cherry - or at least, like black cherry Kool-Aid.

 

As it dries, the woods gradually gain dominance. It's a bit musty at first, like the corner of your garage where you store leftover varnish. (Other varnished wood scents from the lab don't smell like this to me, so I wonder if it's specifically the mahogany note.) Unfortunately it lingers in this musty-wood-that's-had-some-tussin-spilled-on-it stage for a while.

 

But if you tough it out, it becomes a nice, dry, smooth wood blend with just a dribble of black cherry. The black currants add a hint of jamminess, but they aren't nearly as prevalent here as in other blends. The currant is quite subtle. I don't often like cherry blends, but here it works well, perhaps because it stays in the background.

 

So, in short: like sniffing a sanded, unfinished mahogany plank, with a drop of black cherry fragrance.

Edited June 18, 2009 by naeelah

[Gin]

The Red Queen

 

Yup, cherry and wood. I don't smell the currant, which disappoints me. Not a keeper.

[GirlDetective]

I dug out some old frimps in hopes of finding a new summer scent, and I wore Red Queen to work, and I'm quite pleased. It reminds me of Jersey Devil (which is a staple work scent for me) with less pine and more fruits. It's berries and dark wood, a more girl-ish Jersey Devil, and I'm considering a bottle.

[pseedie]

~~~red queen~~~

 

In the Imp: oh, this is a literal wood and fruit. No denying it from the first sniff. It leaps up and takes your nose into the imp!

 

Wet: Mahogany and cherry....like cough syrup in your grandma's armoire.

 

Dry: A bit more like cherries in a wooden bowl....I'm completely missing the currant....

 

Timelapse 1 hour: the mahogany and cherry have a ton of throw and I think I'm done.

 

Timelapse 2 hours: I took this off with lotion an hour ago, and now I smell like a cough syrup factory burned down.....how does this have such infernal staying power when every other bpal wafts away on the first breeze past me?? lament lament lament......

 

Verdict: Undeniably strong, controlling and noticeable. Like the red queen.

[earlgreyellie]

this scent is very sweet with a hint of...artificial fruit or something. to me, it smelled exactly like the red tootsie roll pops i used to eat as a kid. it's not a terrible smell, but i don't really want to walk around smelling of candy. in short, it's not for me, but would be good for someone who really loves red tootsie pops.

[Muppetk]

I tried this one tentatively, as cherry and I often don't get along, but it's hard to resist the call of deep mahoghany.

 

Wet/drying: *blinks* I swear to dog, it smells like a barbie doll. My nose must be on crack today, but it smells like a richer version of snow white on me -- which also has that sweet barbie doll plastic scent.

 

Dry: The cherry actually seems to be okay as the currant keeps it tamed to less than obscenely sweet (*cough*Aunt C's Joy Mojo*cough*), but OMG POWDER BARBIE is most of what I'm getting. Sounds like one of those velvet woods Does Not Like me! Either that or I'm missing part of the scent as my nose is stuffed on one side today... I think I need to try an old favorite to see in my nose is Just Off today.

 

Unless my nose is on complete crack, fans of Snow White would like this one.

[gypsyjolie]

This was all cherry in the bottle wet, and all wood when it dried on my skin. It's rich cedar and a hint of dark rich black cherry/fruit after a few minutes on my skin, but the wood is too dry for me to wear this often. I think this might be great on a guy... though how would you get them to wear it when it's named The Red Queen? LOL

Edited August 12, 2009 by gypsyjolie

[loubric]

In the bottle the sweetness and richness of the cherries hits me hard. Reminds me of my childhood…

On my skin I smell like a little old lady in a museum!! With hints of baby powder (which a lot of scents smell like on me ……)

 

Straight from IMP on me …I can’t decide if I like it or not *sniffs wrist* nope I don’t, well not on me anyway. This would be nice in a room no on a person!! I will give it a few minutes though…

 

10 minutes later it actually smells better now, more subtle, less powder and a bit muskier, I quite like it now, don’t think my husband will ….

 

PS it does vaguely smell like Barbie (that’s why it reminds me of my childhood!!!)

[biocarolyn]

Ye Gods!!!! In the imp this is nothing but strong, syrupy cherry. Maraschino-Robotussin Cherry. Screaming cherry. I really did not want to test this, as I'm not a big fan of cherry scents, but the woods tempt me.

 

Wet on the skin, the cherry is still there but woods come out to play. Mahogany & maybe Cedar? The dry-down is about the woods entirely.

[Altaira]

I was excited to get this as a frimp from the Lab as it was on my wishlist. In the imp and wet on my skin, I wondered why I had ever thought this would be a good thing, as it smelled strongly of cough syrup. Not really the red cherry flavor, more the orange colored syrup that is generic "fruit" flavored.

 

Luckily with 10 or 15 minutes the medicinal smell goes away and mellows down. It dries down to a very nice raspberry square scent. Not as sweet as many other foody scents, I really do like this one.

 

This fades fast on me. Most oils, if I put them on before work in the morning, I can still smell them until I wash them off in the shower the next morning. Red Queen is almost imperceptible after about 3 hours.

[Violaine]

Well, this will be a short review. I wanted this one to work SO MUCH, but alas...

 

Wet: Cherries. Glorious, sweet, juicy cherries.

 

Dry: Pure wood. Pencil shavings. *sighs*

 

Into the swap pile.

[ChaosKitty]

I got my imp in a swap, and the scent turned out to be just as delicious as it sounded. At first it smelled strongly of cherry marzipan. That slowly receeded and the mahagony and woods appeared. Now, a half hour later it smells like deep red wood sweetened by black fruits, cozy and warm - it smells like *more* and will be another item on the ever-expanding wish list.

 

[luzblah]

It was so promising in the imp. Cherries and sweetness with a back of wood.

 

However on my skin the Cherry faded almost instantly. All I got was deep wood. No cherry or currants and all sweetness faded.

 

Swap Pile it is. I knew the wood would kill it, but I was so hopeful from the imp!

[Invidiana]

This is mostly red fruits on me, and made me think of the Queen of Hearts' heart tarts for a moment till I realized this was a totally different queen in the same book (d'oh) with a background that reminded me more of piecrust than polished wood, thankfully.