Queen of Spades

[QueenFae]

A contemporary incarnation of the tarot’s Queen of Swords. A card of decisive action, strength of Will, progressive action, justice, and, sometimes, revenge. The scent is a sophisticated, deep, and smoky floral with a decidedly exotic spice. Moroccan myrrh and black amber, with muguet, opoponax, deep black plum, cyclamen, galbanum, and wild blackberry softened by pear blossom and a swirl of exotic wood notes.

Upon application: Very nice, deep, fruity, spicy and sexy all at the same time. This reminds me very much of Blood Countess; it has that same deep, sexy berry thing going on. The dark plum note is on top, and there is a swirling vortex of spices and florals floating underneath.

Dry down: The black amber starts to show itself more. The plum takes a step back and the sweetness of the blend comes out more. The sweet, swirling florals become a touch more apparent. This is a soft scent and doesn't have a lot of throw, but its so sexy it doesn't matter.

This is just beautiful! If it was possible to buy a 5 ml, I certainly would. Alas, I always love the rare ones!

[Naamah_Darling]

This is musky and fruity, and very soft, a quite perfumey perfume without being stifling or over-sharp.

 

It goes on in a haze of resins with just a breath of florals and fruits. It's a very deep, spicy incense blend that has a great deal of gravity. Resinous with a trace of woody green.

 

As it dries it gets fruitier and woodier, and just a little sour. I don't think this is working for me, sadly, but it is a beautifully subtle scent. It would indeed work equally well on men and women, I think.

[alicia_stardust]

I get deep plum, sensual and feminine myrrh, resins, smoke, and a touch of woods. The amber provides a nice central point to all the other notes. The florals are so nice in this, especially the pear blossom.

 

This is commanding and regal, strong and proud. I feel like I can do anything when I wear this.

[VioletChaos]

in the vial: a strong berry note with an earthy scent as an afterthought.

 

wet on skin: the myrrh is making an appearance and there's a sensual, smoky-sweet note: not exactly the fruit of before, and not vetiver either.

 

dry down: this is spicy and sweet, without being foodie. it's kind of what i always want the leather note to smell like but never does.

 

in all: i'm glad i had a chance to try it, though it's not quite for me. if you like Doc Buzzard, give this one a try, these seem like soul scents

[savage_rose]

I can't believe I've never reviewed this! This was the first (and well, most ardently desired) rare I had to try. In the meta-card symbology, the Q of Spades is the significator for people born on January 2nd, and as that's my birthday, I had to try it.

 

Queen of Spades is just gorgeous, and is such a morpher. At times it's this intense, rich cologne, and then other times it's woody, deep, and resinous. And just when you think it's strong and domineering, you smell the sweet plummy berry notes. I only have a small tester sniffie, but I love it well .

[zankoku_zen]

This one was a nice, resinous plum. Take the sweet plum from Bordello and give it a sexy musky base and smoky resin overlay and you have Queen of Spades.

 

Sounds great, smells great... but I have to admit I'm not a giant plum fan. So it's a pass for me because while lovely, I'm not in love with it.

[ami226]

On the skin: Wow! The only part I can smell is the plum berry mix. It is a tame fruit smell though and not as artificial as other fruit smells I have encountered. This scent doesn't last long on me and within an hour it is already faded. Apparently my skin likes to eat fruit just as much as I do!

[Gin]

Queen of Spades

 

This is soft and sweet--or maybe that's due to age. I can smell muguet and pear blossom, over smoke and spices. The plum is divine. I had written this off as, "Not as good as the King" because I like foody scents and the King of Spades is more foody, where this is floral, but the longevity of this scent makes up for it. While the King is great at first, it eventually goes a little dry. The Queen remains sweet and juicy plum to the end.

Edited June 1, 2009 by Gin

[Monster]

In the vial: Purple fruits and myrrh. Wow, this is very viscous oil

 

Wet: Rich plum and blackberries with a sharp floral note (cyclamen) and smoky incense. Oh this is just gorgeous. Right now it's reminding me of a smokier, more resin-based version of Purple Phoenix.

 

Dry: This just gets better and better as it dries. The sharp floral note I sniffed while this was wet has subsided. I can still smell floral notes but they're very mild...waayyy in the background. This smells like sweet, plummy incense. This is rich, exotic and a really sophisticated smelling perfume. I would wear this every day if I could

 

Overall: I said it in my KoC review and I'll say it here, I REALLY hope this cards series reappears in the Mad Tea Party section one of these days. I would love to get my hands on the whole set.

[puck_nc]

Origin: half-decant purchased off-forum

 

Initial Thoughts: I bought this very early in my BPAL career, before I had a handle on which notes smelled good on my skin and which ones didn't. At the time I think I only smelled this in the bottle and thought it was quite similar to Poison, one of the few commercial perfumes I ever thought was worthy of a bottle. Now we get to see what aged myrrh and black amber--normally two of my death notes--do to me.

 

In the Vial: Amber, myrrh and dark fruits in a deep wood with just a hint of floral. Very complex and proud.

 

Wet: For a brief moment I get lush and rich fruit, and then the myrrh begins amping as myrrh so often does.

 

Drydown: The myrrh remains the dominant note, but in this particular blend it's not eating the other notes alive. I can detect plenty of wood notes, some hints of fruit and flower and I think of all things the pear blossom is standing out.

 

Verdict: Well, this is possibly the one myrrh perfume I can wear in the BPAL calatog...just like Bathsheba is the one dark-musk blend I can wear.