Hellion v2

[edenssixthday]

Hellion v2 - What a plum-ilicious scent! On me, this scent is all plum and spice. It makes me think of an evil sugar plum fairy. The prototype is not nearly as dark and heavy as the released version of Hellion, but it's just as amazing -- just in a different way. Hellion v2 is extremely heavy on the plum. It's not a bright, juicy plum, but a dark, sinister plum with tons of yummy spices in the background. I can't tell you which spices. It almost smells like mulling spices -- clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, but not heavy on any one in particular. It's a beautiful scent. It doesn't have any throw at all on me, and I have to practically stuff my wrist up my nose to smell it, even after "slathering", but the scent lasts on my skin longer than the average BPAL blend. I'm just delighted to get to experience this prototype.

[tristessa]

Wearing this in mah scent locket today and I have to say, I'm not in love like I thought I'd be. It smelled really good out of the bottle, I got mostly a dark delicious plum and not too much spice. Once warmed, the spice keeps tickling my nose and not in a pleasant way. Cinnamon is a huge no-no for me so this might have to go. I'm hoping it'll age nicely... the throw is interestingly less then I imagined it would be and I'm really curious what its going to smell like ON my skin... have to wait on that...

[schackjj]

It's been forever since I've tried the original. I'll amend if I get around to doing a side-by-side comparison.

 

In the Bottle: Incense. This surprised me. I expected fruit and spice, which is what it smelled like (to me) at DD.

 

Wet: There it is. Very pronounced fruit, must be the plum, and cinnamon, which doesn't usually cause me problems, thankfully. I like this a lot so far.

 

Drydown: The incensey vibe comes back and takes over the plum note, then it goes to mostly cinnamon. This would be a terrific fall/winter scent.

 

Medium throw, still going strong at the one hour mark.

[samarablackcat]

Comparing the two versions side-by-side, I concur the Hellion v2 is deep, dark, juicy plum. Not sweet...the cinnamon and clove take care of that. The original is a little sweeter, lighter, with the champaca flower more prominent in the drydown.

 

I don't get the scorched sandalwood in the released version, but as V2 dries, sandalwood and clove round out the scent, making this very earthy and schexy.

 

As I step outside to do mundane chores in the high Florida humidity, V2's plumminess is very happy here in this element. The incense in the released version is more prominent.

 

All in all, it's like trying to pick your favorite between a set of twins; how can you choose one over the other? Impossible! Very subtle nuances, but both still near and dear to the heart.

 

So glad to have this! Thank you Cobwebby Faerie!

[boxinghelena]

A dear friend picked this up for me.

 

Let's take a look back at the notes in the released Hellion: black plum, champaca flower, dark musk, patchouli, narcissus and scorched sandalwood. On my skin it was a gorgeous patchouli headshop type of smell. Patchouli was the dominant note on me. I love love love this scent to death.

 

Now, Hellion V2 is in-your-face PLUM. Plum is very much the dominant note in this blend. All the other notes are in the far far background. I still smell that headshop type of smell but definitely not as strong. I love this one too. Maybe a little too much! Want more!!

[Wench457]

In the bottle, this is all plummy, plummy, plummy spice. Completely delicious. Once it hits my skin however, it’s all spicy, spicy, spicy pl- no, actually that’s spice too. At least I know my super power for amping spice notes still works. :sigh:

 

After a bit, the lovely plum starts to come back, and I begin to be hopeful, but it never quite gets past the vicious spices to be as nommable as it is in the bottle. Faded completely after a couple of hours. I will retest when it isn’t quite so hot, but this one doesn’t seem like a keeper for me.

 

Stupid skin chemistry.

 

[heathercaley]

Oh Hellion how I love you, and your twin sister Hellion V2

 

If released Hellion is a boy, Hellion V2 is his sister. Spicy plums on top, smokey incense underneath. It's brighter than original Hellion, and when I do my side by side comparison, this is how it goes:

 

H: Mmmm sandalwood, plums, spices and patchouli

H2: mmmm PLUMS, sandalwood, spices, and maybe patchouli

H: huh? I can't smell it anymore!

H2: mmmm PLUMS, sandalwood, spices, and maybe patchouli

 

It's very weird. Once I sniff H2, I can't smell O.G. Hellion anymore. I'm thinking it's because H2 is so much brighter with her plummyness, that it overshadows the lesser amount in released H.

 

I still love my old school Hellion, and I love H2 as well. It's like trying to choose a favorite child.

 

 

eta: forgot those spices! *noms arm*

Edited August 1, 2009 by Purrsnikety

[Dark Alice]

I love plums. I love spice. But this on me at least smells like an incomplete version of Dionysia. I love Dionysia....and I love this....but thankfully, I will be satisfied with my imp.

[moon_lemming]

So THAT is what the Lab's plum smells like. I wasn't sure what I was smelling until I read the reviews on the forum -- yessss, plum is spot-on. There's something behind it in the imp, something not-quite-spicy. On my skin, it becomes more spicy. Something pops up that makes me want to sneeze. Pepper, maybe?

 

This is weird, but there is something in the mix that reminds me of peanut butter. I have no idea what's up with that, and it goes away within minutes, so who knows.

 

Once it's dry, Hellion v2 is a plummy scent with spices laid on top. I can't decide whether the spices smell like mulling spices or something more incense-y, both descriptions seem right and I keep wavering between the two. I'm just going to call it "MULLED INCENSE" and be done with it. It's an interesting combination but the plum and other notes never really meld together for me.

 

It is nice to be able to add a scent (the plum) to my "SO THAT'S WHAT THAT SMELLS LIKE" database, though.

Edited August 8, 2009 by karen

[angelicruin]

I've been comparing v2 with the released version trying to discern the differences. BOTH are amazing scents.

 

v2 on my skin is much more fruity than the released version. I get lots of plum with v2.

 

The released version seems spicier on my skin than v2.

 

Also, while I get a small bit of floral from the released version, v2 has no floral throw on my skin.

 

Interestingly, after both oils are fully dry, they smell nearly the same on my skin.

 

[slave1]

HELLION v2: No description (prototype)

 

In Bottle: Plum and smoke

 

On Skin: Oh... my...god... GODSENT! yes, this scent is quite possibly one of the prettiest scents ever. It reminds me of Queen of Spades, only much more plummy and not as perfumey. Plum is the strongest note followed by a dirty note and wrapped up in a sweet spicy smoke. I can smell a bit of wood, but the plum is the heaviest and the spices really heat it up. The spices are so well blended though, none of them stick out on their own, they just give a nice warm "tint" to the scent. It's not really like the original Hellion to me. While I liked the original, it wasn't half as beautiful as this one and it was much heavier on the dirtier patchouli vibe. And this one loves me. I wore it out to the club, and I had too many people to count coming up to me and asking me what smells so good!?!?! I had people asking me to rub my wrist on them so they could keep smelling the scent all night, and they would walk off huffing their wrist. I totally pimped out the Lab's site so hopefully I enabled a bunch of new people! I felt bad that they wouldn't be able to buy this scent though... I ahve to say this is one of my favorite BPAL scents now. Moderate to strong throw and long wearlength.

Edited August 24, 2009 by slave1

[myth]

When this one was first announced I wanted it more than anything, but after the uber-plum reviews starting coming in I scaled my wants back to just a sniffy, because I didn't think it would work on me; I figured the plum would make it too fruity. I didn't like Dionysia because she was way too fruity-sweet for me, but now I think that was the pom and raspberry at work. However, I was given the opportunity to swap a bottle of something I didn't like to someone who wanted it for a bottle of this, and so I figured why the hell not? I knew I'd have no trouble swapping it on should the plums not work out.

 

Sorry folks. You will pry this out of my cold dead heads.

 

The Evil Sugar Plum Fairy is exactly what I thought, and looking at the reviews I see I'm not the only one. These plums aren't too bright and sweet, which is what ruins a lot of fruity blends for me because I turn them to Jolly Ranchers or Kool-Aid. They are dark and heavily spiced, like plums in a pie would be. Baked in a kitchen full of incense smoke... because when the Evil Sugar Plum Fairy is baking her evil plum pies you know she is burning incense somewhere nearby.

 

The overall impression, quite simply, is darkly spiced plum incense. I freaking LOVE this.

[tarotgirl99]

I was sure I would love this. I mean, who can reject darkly spiced plum incense? Certainly not me.

 

Now I will acknowledge my skin can be very odd. But on me, while I smell plum and wine, I also smell violet. Distinctly.

 

Violet is not my friend.

 

I am so glad I don't have to track a bottle of this down. I far prefer Hellion.

[totheo]

Plummy plum.

 

That is all.

 

Nice if you like that sort of thing. A very nice scent, I wouldn't object to wearing it at all.... just kinda straight forward.

[AEris]

Delicious, juicy plum with a hint of incense. I think I smell clove.

 

So this is why everyone's obsessed with Hellion! Never smelled the actual scent, but this proto is awesome : -)

 

I have a plum scent from another company that I love. If I didn't, I'd be bat-shit crazy trying to hunt some of this nectar down (and broke)!

[moonstonemama]

 

in the vial: rich plummy incense

 

on: it's deep and smoky. it's yummy smelling, but not sweet. the plum and what ever that smoky/incense smell is (I have no idea what that note is) is beautifully blended.

 

 

I like plum. I really like this blend. It's sexy and womanly, but not overtly feminine.

[zankoku_zen]

Deep plummy incense. I am trying to wrack my brain to compare this with the released version - I would say not as musky? I think this is extremely plummy - sugar kind of plum if you ask me, a hint of patchouli and a lot of spice - like allspice, perhaps a touch of cinnamon and cardamom.

 

Not a plum fan, so pass.

[Little Bird]

I actually like this prototype more than the released version of Hellion, though neither of them are really favorites for me. The released Hellion was too dark and sharply musky for me. Hellion v2 isn't as dark or sharp on my skin. I get a lot more of the fruitiness from this blend.

 

The plum (or what smells like plum) here goes a little bit sour on my skin at first, almost like a not-quite-ripe plum. The drydown gets a bit spicy (cinnamon and clove?) and makes me think of fruity-spicy potpourri. After a half hour, the plum is a bit smoother and sweeter and there's just a hint of spice, and a lot more of a smoky incense scent. It's like a perfumey plum all wrapped up in a smoky, slightly earthy incense, with a slight dusting of spice.

 

This goes through stages where I think that it would be better as a room scent than as a perfume, and stages where the plum just smells sour and off on me. I don't have good luck with plum notes, though. I think the only plum scent I've ever really liked was Midwinter's Eve (which was a fun, sugared plum scent)...

 

I find this better than released Hellion, but it's still not awesome on me.

[savage_rose]

Sweet and darkly fruity, warmly spiced. It reminds me of chrysanthemum moon minus the chrysanthemum. It quickly mellows into a really lovely scent with great throw.

[countessmouse]

Dark, heavy plum and incense. Great throw, smells yummy and the BF loves it on me.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Decant from ivyandpeony.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This should be made of win for me. I love, love, love BPAL's plum note, I love incense and resins and spices. I really like the released Hellion but wanted more plum. How could this go wrong?

 

First sniff:

 

Oh, this is going wrong...no, no, no! How is this going wrong?! I mean, I like it alright. It's not bad. It's just not...what I wanted, I guess. There's definitely a lot of plum in here, but it's so fruity and sweet that it's bordering on fruit punch territory. I don't like the smell of fruit punch or sweet fruits in general. I like the smell of apple cider quite a bit, but that's as far as my fruity drink preferences reach.

 

There are spices here, too. Mulling spices, maybe. It's like spiced fruit punch made with lots of overripe plums.

 

Wet on skin:

 

I've never had an issue with my skin causing fruit notes to amp and definitely never with plum (which I usually adore), but as soon as this hits my skin, the plums just come screaming to the surface even more. All I can smell at this stage is overripe plums and fruit punch. There's a touch of spice underneath it all, but it takes a backseat to the super sweet, syrupy fruit.

 

Dry down:

 

Okay, this is better. Now I'm getting spices with a layer of (still overripe, but not as overripe) plum. I don't get any of the gorgeous incense I get from the released version of Hellion, which is a shame. If I could take Hellion (the released version) and add more of the plum from something like King of Spades to it, it would be perfect. That's what I was hoping for with v2, but it looks like what I'm getting instead is lots of spice, a handful of pulpy fruit and no hint of incense.

 

It's not a bad scent. It's really not, in spite of how that might sound. It's just not what I was dreaming of. I think that's a good thing, actually, since I managed to get a decant before someone answered my DISO with a bottle (so thank you for saving me, ivyandpeony!). I think I would have been infinitely more disappointed if that had happened.

 

The bottom line:

 

This isn't what I was imagining, sadly. It's not bad and I like it alright (in fact, I nearly bought a bottle anyway, because it was for sale and the price was reasonable and I told myself that I don't dislike v2, so it wouldn't be a stupid purchase...but thankfully someone saved me there, too, and grabbed it up before I could and I got a new scent instead), it's just not what I had in my head. I'm happy I tried this, though, and I'll probably be keeping my decant.

[saralaughs]

Sweet, realistic, juicy plum. Freakin' yum. A darker plum than Sugar Plum Fairy and mulling spices, perhaps. The spice isn't really overpowering and is very beautiful. I'm not a 'in your face' spice gal and this is perfect. I do not detect any sandalwood here but maybe a bit of patchouli to ground the very sweet plums and spices. Lovely and glad I have a bottle.

[Larinessa]

Thanks so much to Malibusunny for letting me have some of this!

 

In the bottle: heavy, dark plum, incense and something cinnamon like. Me likey!

 

On me wet: I used a VERY sparing amount to test as I only have an imp, but the incense really blooms, blending well with the rich plum, the cinnamon moving slightly to the background, and a hint of sandalwood bringing a slightly woodsy scent to it.

 

On me dry: this has amazing throw on me considering the itsy-bitsy amount I tested. I am catching wafts from my wrists more then a foot away. Dry this all comes together on a very sultry spicy way, the spiciness to the fore, the deep plum grounding it. I can also detect the sandalwood along the edges, rounding everything out. Love this.

 

I am now absolutely kicking myself for not buying the bottle that had been sitting on eBay for a while a few months ago. This is my absolute favorite BPAL to date, even trouncing my beloved Ghoulish for being 'me'. Will need to sell my soul to obtain a bottle, and this imp is going into my super-secret dark hiding spot!

[ellebelle]

This is definitely plum and spice - but to me, less incense spices and more mulling spices. I would put this in the same scent family as the mulled wine scents, like Gluhwein. A fall winner.

[tajana]

At first I get Plum, plum, PLUM with an undercurrent of spices. Not like baked goods, like dark, dry clove and cinnamon with possibly a mixture of other spices, like nutmeg and allspice blended in as well. As it dries down the very bright and juicy plum note softens a little as it becomes more balanced out with the fiery spice mix. It smells really festive to me, reminding me of the late fall/winter holiday season. With time the spices settle down and begin to remind me less of mulling spices and take on a subtly smoky incense sort of feel. I'd love a room spray with this scent but as a perfume it's not knocking my socks off, I've smelled spiced plums many a time before and this proto doesn't bring anything new to the table. Phew! Glad I got to try this, enjoyed sniffing it, and relieved that it's not heavenly enough for me to feel the need to seek out more.