Mircalla, Countess Karnstein

[femmefatale]

MIRCALLA, COUNTESS KARNSTEIN
(Carmilla, Sheridan LeFanu)
Sometimes after an hour of apathy, my strange and beautiful companion would take my hand and hold it with a fond pressure, renewed again and again; blushing softly, gazing in my face with languid and burning eyes, and breathing so fast that her dress rose and fell with the tumultuous respiration. It was like the ardor of a lover; it embarrassed me; it was hateful and yet over-powering; and with gloating eyes she drew me to her, and her hot lips traveled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs, "You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one for ever." Then she had thrown herself back in her chair, with her small hands over her eyes, leaving me trembling.

Languid, melancholy fire: red musk, purple orchid, frankincense, smoky vanilla, Styrian herbs, peru balsam, tonka, Zanzibar clove, and patchouli.

Wow. This is one freakin' gorgeous and sexy scent.

At first it's mostly spice form the clove with the other scents in the background, but quickly the other notes begin to appear. I can pick up the red musk, frankincense, and patchouli, and the vanilla adds a really wonderful smoky sweetness. After it's been on a little while I can catch hints of herbs, but nothing I can pin down and they are light enough that this is in no way and herbal scent. The orchid is surprisingly faint and adds a touch of femininity to the blend.
Also, for those of you that are scared off by red musk, don't be. It is not a a blend that screams red musk and it is really well blended here.

Honestly, this is even better than I expected and I am sooo happy I bought a bottle right off. Back up bottles will find their way into future orders.

ETA: Wow, this just keeps getting better and better. It's become richer and a bit sweeter and the red musk comes and goes. It is really really gorgeous.

[TheMuses]

When I opened my box one of the three bottles I had ordered had made the box smell wonderful. I sniffed each wrapped bottle and opened this one immediately. My fear - smells great in bottle, will likely smell horrid on me...but not so.

 

It smells familiar (Red Hots candy come to mind) and yet totally unique and new. The musk, smokey vanilla and clove give this one a warm feeling, but the other notes round it out beautifully (lightly sweet and lightly floral) so that it is in no way heavy or cloying. Nice throw - not staying too close to the skin and not turning over the furniture in it race to fill up the room with its presence. I'm getting a subtle hint of soapiness - not sure which one would be causing this (the herbs maybe?). The scent gets more blended as time goes on and the slight soap note is staying in the background. I'll tolerate it for the glorious symphony of the other notes. Its had ok staying power so far.

 

I will definitely keep this. It’s sexy and feminine and grown-up. And on this really humid and sticky NY night - it is perfuming the air and making it all the more bearable...

 

[The_Witching_Hour]

This is one blend I should have purchased a bottle of instead of just a decant. The mention of clove scared me off originally because I tend to amp clove until I'm convinced I'm wearing nothing BUT clove. BUT.........

 

This is absolutely gorgeous! From start to dry down there isn't a stage that disappoints me in the least.

 

I'm compelled to compare this to Marianne from Carnaval Diabolique. Remarkably, a lot of the notes are similar but replace mimosa with clove and you have Mircalla - so if you missed Marianne before she was discontinued and lost out.......this is as close as you can get!

 

I'm guessing clove keeps red musk in line for me. In the past, most of the blends released that have had red musk in them have a tendency to have a 'candy' feel. This is perfectly balanced.

 

Just as Femme_Fatale wrote earlier....I have to agree with her that this one just gets better and better and I keep going back to my arm where I applied it for another huff.

 

 

[kmasden]

Oy, I agree....for me the fear was that it would be "too perfumy" as I tend to amp some notes and when a scent is complex, get the "perfumey" headache going on, especially with something like orchid involved...but not this baby...it's rich and sophisticated, sexy, yet not overpowering....the red musk is grounded beautifully by the balsam and vanilla and patchouli. Mind you that i'm not a patchouli lover and can easily be overwhelmed by the clove...this is so wonderfully blended....I think this is a favorite that will do nothing but get better and better as time goes on. I wish i could keep a zillion bottles of this one, but i'll have to be happy with just one for now...lovers of musk and spices rejoice...and people that dislike or amp clove, patchouli, etc...dont worry...totally worth trying!

[mparker]

I had an interesting reaction to this one. I'm certain that this blend suffered from "bottle shock" from the shipping process.

 

The first day:

I sniffed the bottle, and it was lovely. Just what I had been hoping for. Something with that plummy combination of red musk, patchouli and vanilla that I get from blends like Mme Moriarty and Snake Charmer Ressurected (Yes, those two actually have plum, but I can't think of another way to describe the red musk), but a touch lighter and more feminine. I was afraid of the orchid, but it didn't seem to be overly present. So I tried it out.

 

Wet - It started out lovely. Just what I wanted, rich, thick with spicy musk and sexy. For about three minutes. Then the orchid amped. And amped. And freakin' AMPED! And it turned nasty as it got stronger until there was the sense of the perfect perfume for me, a signature sort of scent, but it's loveliness was drowned by the rotten water from the forgotten vases of funeral flowers. It was Orchid Decay at its worst. I wanted to hold out and see if it faded, but I washed it off after I couldn't bear it and started to get nauseous. And the thing is...after washing, it smelled GREAT. Light, but great, back to that perfect perfume again. I was confused, lost and torn.

 

So I waited. And a few days later...

 

Same smell in the bottle. Same smell on initial application. So I wait in fear for the rotten flowers to come in. And they DON"T! On drydown - The orchid is there, and I'm still suspicious of it, but it plays nicely this time and lurks in the background, giving this a more feminine, perfumy air to this than the other Red Musk cousins I've tried. It's also a bit lighter, not as strong. This one doesn't hit you over the head. The orchid adds a sense of mystery and darkness. Possibly a hint of disquieting evil, if that's just not my lingering fear of it rising up to corrupt the rest of the scent - which is incredible. Smooth, sexy, slightly spicy, a hint on the plump and juicy side, if not actually fruity. Where Mme Moriarty is what I would wear if I wanted to be unsubtly dark and seductive, Mircalla is what I would wear if I wanted to only give hints of dark seduction, overlayed with a sense of womanly sophistication and opulence.

 

If this one doesn't work when you first get it, let her rest a bit and she might surprise you. I suspect that aging will make this one better and better.

[greenranger]

In the imp and wet on me, wow orchid! And red musk!

 

Drying, I get a whiff of patchouli and then the spices take over.

 

Dry, it settles down and blends together. It's a sweet, musky, captivating scent. I can definitely see this one getting it's wiles wrapped around you and never letting go.

[xoe]

for me, Mircalla is at first in the bottle and on me mainly patchouli, clove and the red musk. the clove note in this is gentle and lovely. it goes through a phase of being mainly orchid. then settles down to a soft warm blend. really nice. different from what I expected. but really nice.

[topazphoenix]

I'm not sure what to think of this one. The clove is prominent at first but settles down and the florals and musk come out to play. This is a very womanly scent, and if it had a color, it would be dark red (the oil is very dark as well). Not sure if it's me but it's definitely very pretty and unique.

[sammy]

OK,this is a strange one for me!

In the bottle it smells OMG amazing.

Wet on the skin,I initially smell the musk and spices.Particularly the spicey clove,and really like it. A previous poster likened it to Red Hots, and I totally get that...

But then as it dries down I find that I completely amp the orchid and herbs. The herbs have a very sharp smell on my skin,while the orchid turns very perfumey on me. DARN! It bums me out,since this had such promise in the bottle,and I can tell it is probably amazing on someone else with different skin chemistry!

So I will let this settle and age a bit and give it a try again.

 

[ClareDeLune]

Hmm... this smells a LOT like Marianne. It's mainly red musk, which I like, but I don't know if I love it enough to keep it since it would basically just become a backup bottle for my Marianne.

[lmaunu]

This one is divine!! My skin is not picking up the patchouli note that some other reviewers are getting, but instead really amped the red musk. Two of my favorite scents are Penumbra and Midnight Kiss, and it reminds me of those, but is different enough to make me happy that I ordered a bottle.

 

It's sexy, but in a kind of way that didn't make me feel uncomfortable wearing it to work yesterday.

 

It also has a nice, strong throw; while it started out light, it really blossomed as the day wore on, and I could still smell it when I got home from work, 15 hours later.

 

Love this one!!!

[hlinspjalda]

In the bottle: Musk, balsam, vanilla, clove. This smells great to me.

 

Wet: Spicy resin, vanilla, and something as sweet as fruit. Agreeably deep and complex; I expect to like this one a lot.

 

Half an hour: Clove first, over a bed of resin. There's a sweetish note, still smells almost fruity. I can't shake the Hellion, Snake Charmer, Witch Queen, Giallo comparisons, but it's different from them. I was afraid there'd be too much red musk to overbalance everything else, but it's being very nice and restrained. This is really great!

 

Two hours: There's a very smooth base under this, from which project the balsam and clove. It's sweet on top, but I couldn't tell you why. I like this so very much, I may need another bottle!

 

Three hours: The clove has toned down some, leaving room for the resins to shine. It smells a bit lighter than before, and more complex. Still utterly luscious.

 

Four hours: This one is just astonishingly well blended. It's so hard to make out individual notes, I'm going to give up trying and just stretch out and bask in it. This one smells gorgeous, rich like velvet and wealth and beauty and luxury.

 

[edenssixthday]

Mircalla, Countess Karnstein - When I saw the ingredient list for the first time, I really wondered if Beth had been stalking my reviews so that she could make a scent designed just for me. This one sounded like it was created exactly with me in mind! I couldn't WAIT to try it. When I apply it, the first obvious note -- very, very obvious -- is red musk. I think there must be a couple types of red musk because it's not my favorite red musk of Hollywood Babylon and Mania. Rather, it's the super sweet red musk round in Smut. Still, beneath that, it's full of dark and husky frankincense and patchouli, the warm loveliness of vanilla and tonka, the slightest bit of spice from the clove, and a hint of sweet florals from the orchid. It's really lovely, and if my experience with Smut is any indication, the red musk in this will become a bit tamer in a month or two, and I'll probably be swooning over this scent then. It's going to undoubtedly age really gorgeously. Now I can't wait to wear two-year-old Marcilla! It has a really strong level of throw and the staying power seems about average on me.

[bubblefish]

Languid, melancholy fire:

 

Yeah, that describes this scent. It's a lovely rich spice that lingers over my skin and has this sexy, sultry feel to it. It's definitely slow and lazy, not going anywhere anytime soon. I can't stop sniffing at it -- it's just awesome spices and smoke and sexiness. Must get a bottle!!

[ami226]

I don't normally like blends with red musk, so we shall see....

 

On the skin: Definitely getting lots of red musk and clove. Kinda also smell some pine? Not really my thing..... It turns kind of sharp on me.

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Gorgeous but ultimately the Clove takes over. Yes, it warms this up. It also overshadows all the other notes, for me.

[thelaurenator]

Ooooh I HATED this wet. Red musk is god awful on my skin-- it makes me smell like a prostitute, seriously. It smells trashy on my skin.

 

But the dry down is a totally different story. It's really, really lovely. I get just a hint of clove. It reminds me of classic, expensive orientals like Poison and Opium. It's got a lot of depth and richness.

[hlemonds]

If the girl is sweet, soft, and innocent, Mircalla is her polar opposite. Mircalla is the sexy, sassy, spicy, and sophisticated vampire. One look at (or sniff of) this deadly gorgeous Countess, and you are utterly done for.

 

Wet: Whoa, that is alot of clove. I do like clove, but i don't particularly want a fragrance that is ALL clove. But underneath i can pick of hints of smoky vanilla, orchid, and red musk. Initially this is quite spicy, i can actually feel it (in addition to smelling it) in my nose.

 

Initial dry down: Still a good bit of clove, but it is starting to mellow out and the other notes are beginning to bloom and reign in the spicyness. At this stage the clove begins to remind me of the sweeter, milder scent of a clove cigarette.

 

Dry: The clove is still present, but no longer dominant at all. Now i get the most gorgeous smoky vanilla and spice over a base of incredibly smooth (and slightly sweet) red musk. The orchid is in their, but only a hint, this does not come across as a floral at in point. I think the parchouli may be present beneath everything, but this isn't a "dirty hippy" sort of fragrance.

 

On me this is the best red musk blend i've yet encountered. I can see comparisons to Mme Moriarty and Snake Charmer. But while Mme Moriarty went totally headshop hippy on me (which can be nice, but isn't me), and Snake Charmer tends to be just slightly powdery, Mircalla is utterly perfect. Although the intial clove rush may be too much for some, i find it well worth waiting through for this incredible dry down. Plus, my bottle just came out of the mail box, so with a few days rest the clove in the beginning may become a non-issue.

 

Overall: This warrants MUCH hoarding!

[theseagrows]

in the vial i smell red musk and not much else-maybe a tinge of the orchid. on my skin, it starts out all red musk, but once it dries and settles the clove comes forward, and all the other notes sit in the background. they're very blended-i can't seem to pick out vanilla or patchouli, though i think i get hints of the tonka and peru balsam perhaps. all the other vampire scents i tried were pale and white and ethereal, this is the first one i've tried that's fiery and warm. it's nice and i like it a lot, it's just that i think i have a lot of very similar scents, so i'm not sure i need a bottle. i'll keep my decant though because i do like this a lot!

 

[Brianne]

Those who are comparing this to Mme Moriarty and Snake Charmer are totally hitting the nail on the head I think. I find Snake Charmer to be less resinous than Mircalla, but it is fairly close to Mme Moriarty. It's gorgeous red muskiness with husky patchouli and clove. Most of the other notes are a bit lost on my skin, but that's okay because those three work together beautifully. If you don't care for red musk, steer clear of this one though. I love it, but I know many people are not into it. The drydown is more clove than anything, and it's surprisingly soft given how heady this starts out.

 

Very pretty and sexy and sophisticated!

[Balame]

In the Imp: My first LE decant, woo! Getting woodsy patchouli mixed with the warm tonka and a bit of frankincense. Pretty.

 

Wet: Hello patchouli, it usually amps up on me like it's no one's business. Then again, it tends to be strong on most people. Not unpleasant, but I'm not its biggest fan... the most prominent secondary note is probably the clove now. At the moment it's sharper than I imagined, not insanely so, just more attention grabbing than I would have guessed. Yet it's accomplished in an understated manner, like a proper Victorian lady gazing seductively at her object of desire from across a dimly lit castle hall betwixt the crowd.

 

Dry: I would definitely agree with this being called languid. It's more delicate now in terms of throw, but still very distinct. Mostly I'm left with clove, tonka, and musk for a spicy but sweet mix. It's comforting, perhaps a bit sensual, and gives off a definite "warm" feeling.

 

Verdict: Feminine, smooth, hazy. I do like this but it's not a complete winner in my book. While it's quite lovely and I would wear it again, I think for me it's a bit too "indulgent" compared to the more vivacious scents I generally use.

 

Rating: 3/5

[sihaya09]

Mostly red musk and clove. After wearing it for about an hour, there's not a whole lot of vanilla or patchouli in there. It's dryer than I expected it to be after first sniff. I don't like it as much as Mme. Moriarity or Snake Oil for his reason and will probably swap it.

[angelicruin]

This is all red musk and clove on my skin upon initial application. As the oil settles into my skin, I pick up the smoky vanilla note. The patchouli note is not coming out on my skin and I'm just barely registering the frankincense.

 

 

Very deep, resinous and I'm sure will age nicely.

[empi girl]

As others have said, red musk and clove. I love red musk, but have never found quite the right blend with it. But I think with Mircalla, I have a keeper. I like how the clove keeps the sweetness of the red musk in check, and adds a layer of interest to it. Those are pretty much the only notes I get, and that is fine with me. A bottle for sure; it will be interesting to see if aging brings out the other notes more.

[Monster]

In the imp: Spicy red musk, similar to Marianne.

 

Wet: Clove-kissed red musk. Umm...I think my head just exploded I really can't pick out any of the other notes...maaayyybeee the vanilla but this is all red musk and clove on me right now. The clove reminds me of the clove from Red Rose (Unity set). If you replaced the rose in Red Rose with red musk, you would have what I'm sniffing right now.

 

Dry: As this dries the red musk becomes a little bit sweeter on my skin and the clove gets a bit more dusty-smelling. I can't really pick out the orchid note but I think it's just adding a sexy/womany feel to this. It's keeping the blend from smelling too dirty and earthy. Mircalla is a voluptous and sexy dark femenine scent. As this dries even more I can pick out a bit of patchouli. It's not over powering though, the patchouli just sort of grounds all of the notes and pulls them together. Gah! I love this!

 

Overall: I wouldn't compare this to Mme. Moriarty or Snake Charmer at all, to me this is more like Marianne and Red Rose (minus the rose note)....and maybe a teeny bit of Zenobia. The only way I will compare this to Snake Charmer is the LOVE factor. People are going to be scouring the forums for unloved bottles of this after its been taken down. I want to smell like this all the time. Red musk and/or clove fans MUST TRY MIRCALLA!!! If you're like me and love both of these notes I would suggest back-up bottles LOVE!!