The Raven

[Fefferbella]

Sleek, dark, and ominous. Violet and neroli mingled with iris, white sandalwood and dark musk.

I really want a BPAL scent with Violet that will love me as much as I love it...

Sadly The Raven is not it. Yet another floral that turns to sticky sweet, chemical-smelling soap.

Off to the swaps Edited December 28, 2005 by Shollin

[vyola]

Hmmmm, I'll have to take exception to the 'sleek, dark, and ominous'. This is pure violet to me, clean and green and sweet. It's soft and a little wet, like fresh-picked flowers still covered in morning dew. Lovely, with little wafts of sweetness eddying up around me as I move.

[Fleurdelys]

Oh, this is a great violet scent. I tried Veil, Nocturne, and Wings of Azrael. Veil and nocturne were too sweet and soft. Wings smelled like...celery? ::shrug::

 

Then I tried The Raven. Perfect Violet Bliss. It's sweet violets at first, but then the sweetness wanes as it dries, and the musk comes out to ground the scent. Love, love, love this. This has replaced Morgause as my scent to wear on days that I'm wearing dark purple.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: very sweet violet.

on: not quite as sweet. more of a musty violet. very pretty. i can smell the musk, too. there's also the dustiness of the sandalwood and the slightest hint of the sharpness of the neroli. wonderful.

1 hour later: still sweet, dusty violet. the musty feel is gone. very nice.

2.5 hours later: sweet violets with some smooth dustiness to it.

overall: i really like this. i'm such a sucker for violets.

[LittleGreyKitten]

At first this seemed a cool floral (violet? iris? something like that...) but after it sat awhile upon my wrist, say about an hour, the sandalwood, neroli and musk came out. I think the neroli dominated- it was a scent I didn't care for too much anyway. While I liked the first initial floral scent- not too sweet, with the backing darker scents keeping it less girlie- the drydown wasn't as much to my taste. I'll probably wear it a few more times though before declaring it a loser for me. Sometimes BPAL scents grow on me, more than most types of perfumes where it's always love-or-hate and not much between.

[Silverstrike]

I've gotten two frimps of this from the Lab and I feel I should review it before I forget.

 

Basically, it smells like floral tissue paper on me. This probably works well on people whose skin chemistry allows them to wear BPAL florals, but I've learned in the past that I am not one of those people--I seem to do best with sweet scents, where florals can be a side but not main component of the scent. So if most BPAL florals agree with you, this is worth checking out, but if most BPAL florals do not agree with you, move on.

[Em-]

I received this as a frimp from the ever generous lab...

 

Wet on my skin, it is almost not even there...it is very much a skin scent on me and clings like a frightened baby bird. I have had a very hard time picking notes from this blend, but mostly, I get a hit of orange and vanilla, which must be the neroli and a bit of musk. Not much floral, not much sandalwood. Neither of which saddens me.

 

This is an interesting scent that I want to play with a bit more...

[populuxa]

Smelled rather alcoholic in the bottle, but dried down to a completely different, smooth, sophisticated scent. It's very well balanced, and I adore the neroli, but violet does not jive with me - it totally takes over with its dewy sweetness.

[jazlyn]

The Raven is pretty dark and ominous, yet kind of airy at the same time... if that's at all possible. I like the musk in this, but I dislike violets so... this one's up for swap. If you like violets, try Saturnalia.

[fiddledragon]

Scent in bottle: floral with something heavier that might be musk behind it. I have a hard time describing this one.

 

Scent on me:

Wet -- Pleasant and vaguely floral, with something citrusy in it. Not bad, but a little too generic-perfume.

Dry -- The musk comes out to play...my skin chemistry and musk get along so very, very well. I now smell cuddly! It's as if the musk was going for "sexy", but decided against it at the last minute. It's such as warm, happy, contented smell.

 

I have ordered a 5ml of this one :-) It would be 10, but the smell is so strong that I only need to use a little bit at a time and 5ml will last me a good long time.

[Thaleia]

If this is what ravens smell like, I shouldn't mind them flying around my apartment building all the time. This raven, in the vial, smells like clean violets combined with Johnson's Baby Shampoo. I haven't had much experience with violet scents (it extends as far as Marie, and that turned into straight-up tea rose), but I didn't expect it to turn into baby shampoo. It stays baby shampoo on me at first, and then becomes a deep royal purple, musky floral - violet and iris and musk. Love! I can definitely get past the baby shampoo thing, because I really like how this is turning out. I can detect a hint of white sandalwood in the background, but it's just enough to give the floral a bit of sharpness. Understated elegant, just a little bit haughty, with a bite if you go out of line. Need 5ml when this imp is gone, and it'll probably be gone soon. 8/10.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Violet

 

On Skin: The violet is the dominant note, very pretty and purple. The sandalwood is coming in second. It gives a nice clean woody note that to me seems a little more masculine than normal. The iris is very light, the violet pretty much owns the iris here. The musk is also light and hides in the back ground but shows itself enough to deepen the scent and give it a solid base. Overall, not my kind of scent, but quite beautiful. I love the mood it creates and it does remind me of a sleek jet black raven. Beth is amazing once again.

[Diva Urd]

This was definitely dark, but sadly not really all that sleek on me.

 

In the bottle: Violets.

 

On me: Uh, what is that lurking under the violets? There is something sweet and yet bitter (probably the neroli), and... uh, motor oil?

 

*beats skin chemistry with a baseball bat*

 

Yeah. long story short, this smelled like a violet patch where someone dumped the waste products from their last oil change. I'm not quite sure what to blame, but this one is going in my swap/sell pile. Too bad, it sounded so interesting...

Edited February 14, 2006 by Diva Urd

[Lizzie]

I really only wanted this one because of the name.

 

In The Bottle Oiy! Beat me over the head florals.

 

Wet On Still REALLY floral (which is not a good thing for me) and just...gahh.

 

Dry a wet soapy clean floral. Really not all that bad. I wish I could smell some of the lovely neroli, or sandalwood, but I really just get violet and soap. I was hoping to find inspiration in this scent, but sadly I think I'll have to keep looking. I'll keep the imp though. Just for the name.

[Naamah_Darling]

This was a freebie I got a while back, and have hesitated to try because, well, violets. Violets and I just don't get along. I open the bottle and sniff: sure enough, they're big, juicy violets!

 

Ah, hell. Violets hate me. But I'll try it anyway, because I love the smell so much in the bottle that I want to believe it'll work.

 

On: Juicy violets with knives, stabbing me in the sinuses! They dance about on my body, blowing soap bubbles, singing Hallelujah!

 

This is so very beautiful and very womanly, and very pleasant, and on someone else, it might even have some subtlety. But the soap thing . . . yeah. Not going to work.

 

Damn. Damn, damn damn damn. I keep hoping beyond hope that I'll find a violet scent that doesn't do this. I love violets, I love how they smell, but they just don't work on me. Curses!

[MistressTera]

Fresh From The Imp: Flowers with a hint of orange.

 

Wet On My Flesh: Mostly orange now, but I imagine it'll die out soon enough, as orange is wont to do on me.

 

Drying Down: As I thought, the orange (or neroli, I suppose I should call it) is gone, leaving behind violet and a touch of iris. I'm waiting for the musk to come out, as I love musk so much, but I'm afraid of the sandalwood appearing and dominating everything.

 

Hour To Integrate: I've got a hint of musk, and a lot of violet.

 

End Of Day/Final Report: It's not *quite* my style, but I think my sister might like it. Enabling, away!

[gwyllgi]

When I first tried The Raven, I wasn't terribly impressed with how it turned out on me. It smelled interesting and tragic while wet, but was devoured by my skin within about 5 minutes - weep. Even shoving my nose into my wrist only netted me the barest hint of a scent, which made me sad as I liked the wet scent. (It made me feel like a seafarer's widow, reading a book of poems while sitting in a rocking chair before a window overlooking the sea, waiting for someone who would never return.)

 

I tried it again today and learned that it will, indeed, linger if I dump half the imp on my wrists and other pertinent bits. I still have a very, very faint whiff on my left wrist, but it's completely gone on every other application point.

 

Wet, it's violets and musk, like a withered bouquet forgotten in a musty old house. Dried, it's almost pure (but very weak) violet on me, which I like a lot less, unfortunately. Despite my lack of success wearing The Raven, I will definitely keep it in mind as a room scent, if only for the strong mood it sets.

[arabella]

First Impression: Gorgeous spring florals - violets and/or iris and maybe, some others.

 

Dries down to: Thankfully, stays much the same.

 

Additional comments: I can't pick out the neroli or sandalwood; the sandalwood, especially, surprises me because it normally amps up on me. The musk grounds the blend beautifully. This is one of the nicest florals in the BPAL repertoire - it's clean and bright and not at all old lady-ish - a definite Top Ten candidate.

 

Lasted: A couple of hours.

 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (would be higher if it had more staying power).

[Alchemy21599]

I received this as a frimp from the Lab

 

In the vial: if scents were colors this would be purple. I guess I am smelling violets.

 

Wet: violets and soft musk. Pretty!

 

Dry: this scent reminds me very much of Chanel #22. Very lady-like. I had no idea that ravens smelled this good.

[medvssa]

Somber violets, violet, mainly, and I cannot tell anything else apart, but there are other things, something that cuts the sweetness, something that gives a bit of green, and that warms it up, but very subtle.

Awesome violet! I forgot how much I like it.

 

This is a bottle, for sure. It is on it's way.

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: Violet, oh sweet violet with the faintest whisper of musk.

 

First on: It smells almost identical to my Attar Bazaar African Violet oil with something warmer linger underneath, it's also rather wet smelling.

 

After a bit: Violet, still my sweet violet, with a slightly golden musk and iris side dish.

 

This is very pretty, light but not too light, wet but with warmth. Floral, but not in an assaulting way.

 

Thank you so much graycat.

 

Quoth Spastik_Kitty, please, some more.

[Meganaut]

This smells like violets. There's a slight hint of musk, but mainly, it's violets. I know from Ultraviolet that my skin amps up the violet note, so I feel like I'm missing something here. It's a light floral, but it seems kind of geriatric on me. I'm undecided on whether I would wear this again.

 

-Karen

[juniperus]

Bottle: violet and iris, but darkened but a note I can't quite separate.

Wet: ah, it was the musk. yes. what a lovely dark, purple floral!

Dry: there is a sharp, sweet edge...is the neroli turning on me? sad. I'll have to wait and see.

Later: headache. something here is killing me - I know it isn't my beloved violet or musk (and I don't get much of either from this at this point), iris doesn't usually do this - I suspect the neroli. GAH!!! I had so wanted this one to work!

[Trish]

This is my first review and still being new to Bpal I'm far from expert at detecting individual notes.

 

In the imp: All floral. I'm not a floral person but this smells very good all the same. Very bright and warm.

 

Wet: Very strong floral, almost sharp in a way. A sprinkling of violets, but it seems to be the iris (or at least I think it is, it's not a note I'm particularly familiar with) dominating. A hint of citrus around the edges. I really like this despite the sharpness.

 

After 30 minutes: Oh my. The sharpness has disappeared and the musk is coming through quite strongly. The sandalwood has also made an appearance, and is lurking in the background. Iris and violets are still there. It's not nearly as bright now, and although it's not particularly dark it has a depth to it, a hint of mystery. I love this!

 

After 2 hours: Wah! It's faded a lot, now it's a soft musky floral. I think this will be totally gone in another hour or two.

 

Verdict: I adore this at the 30 minute mark, and there's no point where I dislike it. I'm not surprised the musk ended up being the dominant note on my skin as it likes me (and I like it so it's all good). Definitely a floral that I can and will wear. I just wish it lasted longer. Will I buy a bottle? I don't know yet until I get more exposure to Bpal, but this imp is definitely not going anywhere!

[eviltemptressdq]

ooo... this one is DEFINITELy too "dark" of a scent for a girl like me! I smell something very deep and dark... the musk? neroli? I'm not sure what neroli is... there is the sandalwood in the background, but not very strong. I do not smell any floral in this at all... basically, it is just a dark musk

 

definitely not for me! *off to the swaps*