Mircalla, Countess Karnstein

[skylarkza]

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

In the bottle: Thick and sensuous. I can pick up clove and I think red musk.

Wet: Still thick and sensuous, but with a slightly different quality - it feels slightly lighter and more vibrant now. Frankincense, is that you?

Dry: Languid. Sexy. The clove has backed down a bit and the musk is batting its eyelashes. Slightly earthy.

A while later: VERY nuzzle-worthy. Red musk and something VERY faintly floral. Frankincense. The clove and patchouli have faded into a warm and welcoming base. Definitely a "I want to hold you and melt into you" scent.

[donnatron]

Imp: Red musk. Very strong red musk with a faint hint of orchid. Reminds me strongly of Marianne.

 

Wet: The red musk takes off running and melds with the patchouli to create a woodsy, dark sort of incense scent. I get a very faint hint of vanilla. Little floral. No clove or frankincense yet.

 

Dry: Lovely. Or rather, lush. It's a very lush sort of scent. Brings to mind a voluptuous woman reclining in a red velvet dress. Very sexy. It's primarily red musk and patchouli with a faint vanilla vibe. Kind of like if Marianne and Raven Moon had a baby. Or like a drier Mme. Moriarty without the fruits. It's very similar to several other blends in the bpal ouevre.

 

Throw: Good.

 

Overall: This is a gorgeous scent and it certainly lives up to its hype. Personally I just have way too many scents in this family to justify tracking down a bottle.

[Amoraexcena]

Bottle: I get a big blast of herbs and clove.

Wet on Skin: a bit of red musk, but still predominantly smokey herbs and spice. It’s a bit medicinal, very strange for a scent dedicated to a bloody sexy vampire. Where’s the vanilla!?

Drydown: sadly, it stays quite true and I get none of the sweet sexy fire I was hoping for.

[amyw]

I'm not sure why I love this so much and why I've been reaching for it so often lately, since enough of the notes are very much not my thing that the list never made me think I had to have it. I got it because of the reviews and the comparisons to Snake Charmer and Mme Moriarty, but even so, it's more a cousin than a sister to those too on me. I can see the comparisons to Marianne as well, mostly because of the red musk. I love vanilla but I'm usually enh on smoky vanilla, and I'm generally not a fan of clove unless it sits way in the background. Too many clove cigarettes in the 90s, I guess. Balsam is okay, and I love Beth's patchouli but no one else's so far. Love red musk too, and I really like orchid, but I do amp it. So as you can see, when I read the notes, it wasn't a blend that jumped out at me and said, 'you must have me!'

 

Anyway, none of the notes I don't like much kill this blend for me at all. It's more orchid than anything other single note, as expected, but the red musk, patchouli, and even the smoky vanilla round it out really nicely. Yum! The clove behaves and adds just a touch of spiciness, and I think I smell some herbs and frankincense in there too. Lots of throw, and sexy as hell. It's already started to age nicely and I expect it will get even better. So glad I bought some before the 'Weenies went away.

[pandorasmuse]

I am afraid this will be too strong for me. But I remain hopeful. Carmilla is a great story.

 

In the imp: Impressive dark red oil. Ooh. This smells nice. It smells familiar for some reason as well, but I can't quite figure out what it's reminding me of.

 

Wet: Clove and smoke.

 

Drydown: Musk and a touch of clove, with the barest hint of orchid. I can't really pick out the other notes. Sexy! I'm liking it.

 

Later: NOOOOOOOOO! All cloves. Seriously—this is like sticking my nose into a jar of the stuff. I am really sad. It was so pretty right when it dried.

[whisperstilled]

One heavy scent! I'll have to try it to decide whether or not it's for me.

 

In Imp: Sweet patchouli and red musk, highly reminiscent of Mme. Moriarty without so much bitterness.

 

Wet: Red Musk! PATCHOULI. I amp patchouli like crazy and it's not my favorite thing, so let's give it some time.

 

Dry: Less patchouli, more red musk and a touch of the orchid I love, but not enough. PATCHOULI STARRING PATCHOULI WITH GUEST STAR PATCHOULI. This one won't work on me for the same reason Marianne doesn't: I amp patchouli like crazy, and all else is lost.

 

2/5. Not offensive, but definitely not for me.

[NicoleJoy]

I love this scent! It's unbelievably sexy, and I think I'll wear it a LOT.

 

In the bottle: Wow, that's spicy! Cloves and a sweet undertone - maybe the vanilla coming out? It's hard to tell.

 

Wet: Oh.My.God.Cloves. All this is is a ton of spice! Where are the other scents??

 

Dry: The cloves disappear, entirely. I'm left with a heavy, sexy vanilla in the forefront - not what I expected!. I can smell the patchouli and frankincense strongly, and a tad bit of tonka and musk. It's a warm, sexy scent, and it lasts FOREVER! The throw is amazing, too. For once, I don't feel like I need to constantly sniff my wrists, because I can smell the scent wallowing in the air whenever I move. It's amazing!

[lahdeedah]

Oh Mircalla! You red musk and clove and spice maven! I needed another red musk scent like I needed a hole in the head, but the Countess demanded I seek a bottle of her immediately! Actually, to be fair, it took two tests for her to really come out. The first time was surprising underwhelmng, considering the notes. But, after letting her rest from her travels and then re-testing I was hooked! I confess to loving BPALs that are heavy, dark, and heady above all others, and Mircalla lives up to that proclivity. At first somewhat sweet, all I smell is red musk, but after drydown, all the spices and woods waft around in imperious, dark glory. It's very Oriental, opium-den. Very red. I do wish I got more orchid out of this blend. I have a creeping desire to try layering this with Premature Burial-- let's put this vamp in a box and bury her (not so much) alive!

[SophieCedar]

Reading the description, I figured this would be perfect for me. I purchased a bottle off the forum, without testing a smaller amount.

 

Wet: OK, not a good idea to test randomly while at work. Especially considering we have a strong ventilation system...the red musk and smoky vanilla are STRONG and permeated quickly. I panicked and rushed to the bathroom for removal... Starting over in the comfort of my own livingroom...plus husband has a cold, so he won't be able to detect the explosion... I can now detect wet plum along w/ the smoky vanilla and red musk. Something else hits my nose like honeycomb? Think it's the clove mixing w/ red musk and a touch of patchouli. Mixed with the orchid and frankincense billowing, this is very thick, almost suffocating, during this phase.. not that it's a bad thing. There are worse smells to be suffocated by...

 

Drydown: orchid, thyme (Styrian herbs? all I could find online was Styria is a SE region of Austria.), plum, red musk, and tonka. Something develops that's very sweet and candied at this phase. I smell like a musky gourmet lollipop. I was hoping to smell more peru balsam (one of my favorite singular notes.. vanilla sap). Interesting and glad I have a bottle. Baffled about the development, therefore I'll keep reaching for it.

[filigree_shadow]

Huge wallop of red musk in the beginning, followed by hazy languid red musk and patchouli. I don't think I can smell any herbs, the clove is the perfect amount of spice, and the frankincense is not amping up the weird hazy sweetness like it usually does on me. This smells exotic and very sensual.

 

Niiiiiiice.

 

I really, really need to do a red musk death match because I have such a problem giving up any red musk blends, and this one is a contender for sure. I think it smells great. The only problem I might have with it is that my husband said he doesn't really like it that much. (How can he not? What the hell is wrong with him? This smells super sexy!!)

[Poenari]

I bought a bottle of this right away when it went live because I adore red musk blends, so when I first wore it, I was disappointed that I was not as in love with Mircalla as I thought I would be. So I set her aside, but recently decided to give her another try. I've been on a red musk kick lately and alternating all of my various red musk scents. OMG after aging, this has shot up to become one of my favorite red musk blends! The clove is just beautiful and the red musk has deepened, as has the vanilla. All together, Mircalla is fabulous, and now I'm sorry that I didn't buy a backup bottle to age at the same time.

 

edited for spelling

 

Edited years later because I ended up buying 4 bottles of Mircalla when she went up on Etsy. It's become one of my very favorite scents! 

Edited October 23, 2020 by Poenari
2020 update

[calivianya]

Mircalla reminds me quite a bit of Mme. Moriarty! Unfortunately, the Madame and Mircalla are teaming up to make sure I'm aware that patchouli/red musk blends for some reason turn to pencil shaving and body odor when combined together on my skin. It's weird; they work individually... I can smell the frankincense, florals, and sweet vanilla trying to fight their ways out, but the patchouli/red musk blend keeps them down. This is a real shame; it had a lot of promise from the notes.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

This was terrible on me. Way too sharp and strong. I was expecting it to work since patchouli and red musk work so well in Mme Moriarty. I don't think they even compare. This has orchid and balsam which are clashing with everything else.

[Usagi]

Imp: red musk, spices, and the unmistakable necrotic burning rubber smell of patchouli.

Wet:flowery red musk, cinnamon, and patchouli backing it.

Dry: when the patchouli finally dies down, it's a nice, spiced red musk. But I don't enjoy waiting for that drydown.

 

Conclusion

I love "Carmilla", but patchouli hates me. If patchouli is your friend, this blend could be that throbbing, sultry scent you've been longing for.

[a_llb]

In vial: Cloves & smoke.

Wet: Bitter vanilla. Orchids & a bit of red musk.

Dry: Herby, resinous & spicy, but a lot smoother than most spicy scents I've encountered so far.

 

Verdict: The perfect scent for a femme fatale vamp, but a little bit too dark for me to want to wear often.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Clove jumps out at me; otherwise, a complex resinous-musky scent.

 

On skin: Mircalla is a base of smooth resins and cozy red musk, with a distinct (vampiric) clove bite showing through. It is well-blended, gentle and full-bodied... and oh, so faint! A tantalizingly complex scent, but the throw is simply too weak for me to identify specific notes beyond the prominent clove, and the scent ends up fading very quickly. Mircalla resembles Vespillo -- both have a similar clove -- but the former is very vague, while the latter is bolder and more assertive. Colour impression is dark reddish brown with a glowing orange ember at its heart.

 

Verdict: I haven't read the story behind the blend, but based on the description, Mircalla definitely fits her description. "Languid fire" indeed: a pretty scent, but ultimately forgettable.

[tallan]

I'm so surprised right now. I've had a sniffie for ages, thought it was pretty but not my thing, and then I recently converted to red musk fandom. Hallelujah, give me more Mircalla. I expected it to become a favourite. So I bought a decant, and got to try it today, and it's not at all like the sniffie. It's the same scent, but whereas my sniffie was mostly red musk and vanilla, made complicated and more interesting by light florals and spices, wearing it now is almost entirely clove and patchouli with an orchid backup. Pretty in its own way (even though I'm not a clove fan), but not at all what I expected and, to be honest, wanted out of this scent.

It's been a few hours, and neither the vanilla nor the red musk have bothered to show up. Bummer.

[ccelaya]

In the bottle: Herbs and Peru Balsam

Wet: Frankincense, Herbs, possibly patchouli.

Dry down: Clove, Red Musk and vanilla.

This scent is very complex. Each time I wear it I smell a new dominant scent. It's an warm, herbal scent. It can be lightly floral and musky. The throw is strong and lasts a long time. I think this has something for everyone.

4.5/5

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Fruity, floral, spicy red musk. Yuuum. Oooh, some smoke is coming out. This is great. Sexy. Smouldering.

 

 

Dry: The clove is even more pronounced than I could have hoped (I'm obsessed with clove these days). It's smoky and sweet and musky. This is really something else. So happy I went out on a limb and snagged it.

[RoseThornAndOak]

wet on skin red musk w/ powdery elements. Dry it kind of almost duds out, I think it is just lighter than other red musk blends. Light, somewhat floral red musk. Not my favorite but still vampish and wearable. If you find red musk to be too much give this a shot, it is less in your face.

[maleficentsea]

I am so, so lucky I received a bottle of this recently. Mircalla is just as beautiful as I had hoped, and beyond.

 

Sometimes red musk goes really strong and bitter/medicinal on me, but not here. Everything is blended so well that it's a beautiful, snuggly scent. It really envelops you in a warm, seductive embrace, and it lingers like a smoldering fire long after initial application. I tend to amp vanilla and frankincense, so that seems to be serving me well to keep it from being too herbal.

 

On a personal note, this blend has quite a lot of sentimental value to me: Carmilla is one of my favorite works of literature, and I've had the great honor to play her in a recent radio play adaptation. This blend will be deeply beloved and cherished by me for years to come.

 

If the lab ever makes a re-issue of this...that would be amazing.