Blood Amber

[storme]

Slivers of warm, pulsating blood forever crystallized in golden amber resin.

In the imp: mm, this is warm dragon's blood under that spicy amber.

On me, wet: The amber is dry and the dragon's blood is sticky-juicy. The combination is confusing my nose.

On me, dry: Mrm, this is nice enough. Amber and dragon's blood and not a lot else. A bit thin as a blend, really.

Verdict: Fairly nice, but nothing amazing. I think I'll swap this away.

[anshara]

Note: I'm picking my brain trying to figure out which amber is in this blend. I've never had amber do react quite like this amber does with my skin, unexpected, but, delicious.

 

In the imp: A slightly aqauatic dragon's blood note, surrounded by the same leather note I get from "Dragon's Hide", with a hint of spice. I'm guessing that's the amber....

 

Wet, swiped on wrists: True to the imp, until innitial drydown

 

Initial drydown (one- two minutes): Dragon's blood, surrounded by the mysteriously morphing amber. I can practically see the innitial "spicy leather" melting into a floral honey, with a hint of spice, I think it's cassia. The amber has deepened and dried to a rich fruity base, the hint of left over leather, and spice save this from being overpowering. This is delicious, but really odd, I've never smelled anything quite like that change over before. I wonder if there's a chemical commonality between the scent that we know of as leather, and the scent that comprises honey? Honey is a bodily excretion, perhaps the two have a chemical property in common that might explain my perception here.... But, even if they are chemically related, how does that explain the presence of leather, and, honey in a blend of resins? How does Beth do that?

 

Mid to final drydown: Floral honey with a hint of spice in a base of rich, fruity dragon's blood. Others have said it, but, I must concur, this smells golden, but a rich deep rose gold that's still molten when it hits the skin, and, dries to a lustrous perfection.

 

My hat's off to you Beth, I am in awe!

[brownbear]

mmm Wet, this is warm, dragon's blood and sweet amber. On my skin it goes a little bit weird though. Also, I think dragon's blood, even though I like it, makes my nose itch. Oh well

[filigree_shadow]

I've worn this several times and I'm still not sure what I think of it. There's something spicy about it -- something that reminds me of cinnamon. I'm not sure where that's coming from. It's definitely a deep scent. It smells a little bit dark. It has that odd almost woodsiness that I sometimes get from resins, but there's something sweet about it too.

 

I generally wear scents that I find either comforting or lovely, and unfortunately this scent is neither of those for me. It's a little too spicy for me... but I usually can't handle very much spice at all. I shy away from anything that smells hot.

 

It's funny how things change as I work my way through the entire BPAL catalog. I first got this imp quite a while ago, and at the time I'd only tried a handful of BPAL oils. Among the ones I had at that time, this was a favorite. But now that I've tried so many others -- particularly the ones in the Ars Draconis category -- this one no longer stands out. It makes me feel kind of sad. I feel like I've betrayed my poor little Blood Amber imp by deciding I like others better. Ah, well. I can only wear so many scents, so I have to pick favorites.

[cranberry]

I have a bottle of this but eventually sold it away, I just wasn’t using it much. But I’m looking forward to retrying this one.

 

In the imp, most strongly, I smell dragon’s blood.

 

On the skin, dragon’s blood with sweet amber, just as I remembered. This is a lovely scent and I see why I liked it so much to buy a bottle. It’s a great combination – and I still like it.

 

I remember it taking on a dusty feel as I wore it, and being fairly dry. So far that hasn’t happened but I’ll test it out and see if it happens again.

 

Now, had I come across this imp, I don’t know that I would have been compelled to buy a bottle, but I will keep any imps that come my way.

[lapillus]

In bottle: Yup. Dragon’s blood resin and amber.

 

Wet: DBR and amber and maybe something else (it clears my sinuses in a way I’ve never had either of the main notes do before. So far it’s lovely.

 

Dry: huh, dragon’s blood has faded almost out, amber has also faded leaving something like the ghost of burnt wood. Very strange.

 

Later: Oh, it’s turned into dark spicy amber with just the barest hint of something sweet. Still much drier than I was expecting given how juicy dragons’ blood usually is, but it’s turned into something quite nice. It does make me want to play with layering it with Blood Rose. Five hours in it’s even better balanced. This is a fun one to track how it changes.

 

Summary: Definitely keeping it, will consider a big bottle.

[space girl lost]

if i had one bottle of straight amber and one of dragon's blood i'm not sure i could pick which is what. i THOUGHT i liked dragon's blood so describing this one is not exactly easy.

 

the only thing i'm sure of is that i don't really care for it very much. there's something very high and thin in it and in general i like my resins to be real thick, and a bit like rich incense. i almost want to keep the imp b/c i hate parting with things but i don't see myself ever wearing this so ... hopefully someone else can love it.

[wikkidraven]

while i thought this scent would love me, especially considering my newfound love for dragon's blood, blood amber is just blah on my skin.

 

i might give it another go, but for now i'm sorely disappointed.

[alliekat13]

To me this is a sickly sweet scent, the amber mainly. The dragon's blood adds an exotic, spicy flair to the amber, but does not stick around long enough for me. I don't particularly like this, but I've realized to be careful with amber blends, because a lot of the time amber doesnt work on me and ends up smelling either sickly or old ladyish. If you can do amber, this scent would be positively wonderful.

[Northernskygal]

One of my favorite's so far. Easily. It is amber, good, real, rich amber.. not fake, plastic, empty amber. And the sliver of blood in it.. slightly.. metallic.. but warm.

It would be all the colors in a desert sunrise.. golden oranges and yellows with a streak of brilliant red.

And the throw is great, the wear is great.. this never really gets wimpy on me. Others smell strongly for a couple minutes, others a couple hours.. this is one that I can apply in the morning and in the evening it is still present.

 

Overall: Wears well, no crazing morphing into powder or soap or anything, wears long and smells warm and sweet and just lovely. What more could I want in a scent?

[funkmoppet]

Okay skin chemistry...what are you up to?

 

On a whim, I fished this imp out of the swap box and decided to test it after all. Coyote's amber works on me, so I thought I might at least get a little sniff of what this one's supposed to be before my temperamental coating rebels.

 

Dragons blood and amber. Should be instant doom-powder on me.

 

 

WTHOLYF no powder!!?? It's been on all afternoon! Oh. My. God. How is it possible that this works on me!?

 

Wow. NOW I can really appreciate DB. It is sweet - I always get that at the start of blends with DB. But the amber in this is gentle and lends it's WONDERFUL sultry edge, calming the blood down and making this absolutely delightful! It's shyly sexy, and definitely yummy.

 

I'm floored. And I like!

[aRaven]

In the bottle it smells sort of sweet and a little flowery. I think the Amber is what I amidentifying with sweet, which is odd. I like the first impression.

 

First app: Sweet flowers –gardenia maybe Jasmine something darker underneath. Maybe the Amber is fighting to stay around. Smells very different on me, than in the bottle. But it still a nice smell.

 

After a few hours: Hey! This lasts a pretty long time. It still smells sort of sweet/flowery, but not in a bad way. Not powdery either. It is as though I catch a whiff of it and it makes me stop and think what is it. Oh it is the oil.... I like that in a scent. Not forceful but not weak either.

 

Not the signature scent I am looking for, but a nice one.

[CrazyPretzel]

In the imp: strong dragon's blood and resinous amber.

 

Wet on me: super-sweet dragon's blood!

 

After a few minutes: The amber begins to warm up and give this blend some depth so it's not as cloyingly sweet. At first it reminded me of the dragon's blood in Wrath which was ultimately rather grim on me, but now it's more mysterious and heady instead of being uncomfortably reminiscent of a bathroom air freshener.

 

Drydown: Mmm. Sweet, heavy, intoxicating. Honey-like without the honey (if THAT makes any sense). Sensuous and slightly narcotic.

[starwild]

Whoooaaaa.

 

 

So, in my search for all things dragon's blood within BPAL, I finally got an imp of this. And it is to DIE for. Warm, sweet, thick and rich amber and dragon's blood. This has massive throw and is very long-lasting on me. This is much stronger yet less cloying than Blood Rose. It's somehow even more reptilian than the Ars Draconis blends.

 

The Jurassic Park scent? Works for me!

[Gwydion]

This is exactly what one would expect from the description. Yummy and simple. My sort of thing.

[Iceblink]

Yep, that's dragon's blood and amber all right! The blood fades quickly on me and the amber goes like crazy. I like my dragon's blood blends to have a little more complexity than this, but it's nice enough.

[Stormslegacy]

I've only tried a few scents so far, so my opinion might change with experience:

 

When I shared my first order with a friend, this was one of the free imps thrown in. We each got to claim 2 and this was my absolute first choice. I adore the smell in the bottle, at first I didn't get the sweetness of the dragons blood, just the murky spiciness of amber.

 

When I first put it on it was a little sweet, but it smelled very sexy. It's sexy with a bit of class. I wore it out with my boyfriend, and he really liked the smell (almost all other blends I've worn so far he's called baby powder). It reminds me of a fox (the animal), and is a very warm, reddish scent.

 

It's my favorite out of all that I've worn so far (being 5 heh!) and something I'd really like to get more of.

[alianthe]

In the bottle: Hot, red, slightly spicy. Compellingly attractant.

 

On me: Amazingly, it doesn't change much. If anything, hotter and redder, with the amber clearer and more recognizable.

 

Conclusions: Not just keeping the imp, but buying a bottle... and maybe another to age. Oh, my!

 

ETA: post skin chemistry change, the amber comes out hardly at all. A little too hard-edged and growly for me now.

Edited October 14, 2010 by alianthe

[seethroughstars]

I ordered this because I love amber, and I love the Blood perfume so it seemed a natural choice. Given the mix of resins in Blood already, amber should compliment it nicely.

 

Bottle: Less fruity than blood, warmer. I definitely smell the amber.

Wet: The fruity notes come to the front, and there’s a drier, powdery background note as well. There’s some spice but it’s minimal.

Drying: Warm and powdery, less fruity. There’s almost a tanginess to it as well. Pomegranate or blood orange? It’s fruit, but not the brightness of citrus or the cloying sweetness of cherries.

Dry: Tangy powder with a hint of spice and a lot of warmth.

 

I'm not sure I would order a 5ml, but I may order another imp.

[MaeKitty]

In the Bottle: Dragon's Blood

On Me: Yummy! Dragon's Blood and amber. I loves it It has the tang of "blood", with the warmth of the dragon's blood resin, and the glow of amber.

[Luxari]

In the bottle it smelled heavenly, dragon's blood, amber, cherry and clove- a sweeter version of Blood and I was excited.

 

on my skin however, it fizzled. Scent didn't stay at all. I guess my natural skin tone/scent is too warm for this. I was saddened, as it smelled lovely in the imp.

[violetflower]

In the vial: Sweet, cherry, warm smelling.

 

Wet on my skin: As soon as it hits my skin the warmth really comes through, the Cherry is very apparent and very yummy sweet!

 

Drying: At first I could smell almond, then that turned into a clove smell, making this blend more spicy! I don't know if that is the Amber or the Dragon's Blood Resin that has the clove smell to it. I really want to get Dragon's Blood, then I will know!

 

Dry: Oh the clove has retreated way into the background now, this is yummy cherry sweet again now!

 

*When I first tried this the other day, it was very spicy all the way through from the wet stage to the dry down! The more I wear it, the more it seems to mellow out, and the sweet cherry smell comes out more and more! I have added this to my must have bottle list for my next lab order. Very nice!

 

EDIT: Over an hour later this has mellowed into a beautiful sweet, almost creamy cherry on me!! I have a feeling that a love affair has begun with Dragon's Blood Resin and I! *sigh* I agree with previous posters who describe this as an addictive and hypnotic scent!! Wonderful!

Edited February 13, 2008 by violetflower

[djsiberia]

i can smell the musk and amber and possibly the dragon's blood. scent has great staying power.

 

i ordered a bottle as i love this scent.

[etienne]

This has two of my favourite notes in it, so it's no surprise I love it!

 

Wet in imp and on my skin it's all sweet dragon's blood resin. On drydown the amber comes out to play and gives it a slightly spice touch. I wish more of the dragon's blood would stick around longer, but all in all this is right up my alley and if I didn't already have so many similar scents, I would be ordering a bottle right away.

 

And, just as a curiosity, I must add that this is the most vibrant red BPAL oil I've encountered so far! Initially the colour scared me a bit.

[DarthArwen]

Maybe it's because I just had a nose full of rose from Lilith, but I didn't smell anything from the imp.

 

On my skin it's faint - kind of mineral with a hint of spice. I find it quite pleasant, but I can't imagine anyone but me (with nose to wrist) could smell it. I had expected something more in-your-face considering the colour of the oil.