Bordello

[sleepflower]

A decadent, deep perfume, lusty and luxuriant. The scent evokes images of velvet-lined Old West cathouses, tightly laced corsets, rustling petticoats and coquettish snarls of pleasure. Bawdy plum with amaretto, burgundy wine and black currant.

This was a frimp from the lab.

It smells sweet, almost foody-sweet, in the imp and on me. But it is not the sort of sweet that gets on my nerves, and, unlike other foody scents, it does not make me nauseated or give me a headache. It is like candy for those who hate candy! It does not morph on me as it dries or through the day. I cannot pick out any single note. It is not quite 'happy' enough for spring or summer, but it is a light scent. Wearing it on somewhat-chilly-but-still-sunny autumn days, as I did today, actually seems nice. It makes me smile when I catch little wafts of it.

At this point I am unsure if I want a bottle, but I do love wearing it. I know if I had a bottle I would wear it all the time, which is odd considering the fact I just said I am unsure if I want it. I am amazed at how the lab seems to know my tastes better than I do!

[Razoth]

A little faint, but it reminds me a great deal of Madame Moriarty. Sweet, but not too much so, with a touch of incense to it, and the wine note doesn't overwhelm and scream BOOZE! at you and everyone that passes you by.

[gatesofrocknroll]

Bordello smells like what dark berry lipstick, complete with matching long polished nails looks like. Very vampy and sexy to me, I like it.

[Jennie]

*Purr, purr, purr* This scent makes me happy. And among my 15 vials, when smelling them as liquid from the imps, it was the one taking my breath away. Like a big, black, ripe plum dipped in liquor, coloring the world deeply purple. A sexy, purple scent, which I’ve fallen for. I want to dress myself in purple and black velvet and smile at every passerby. Chocolate-smooth (though without the actual scent of chocolate, more the Feel, which is good), very exquisite, rich and deep.

 

Smells a little like the Ben and Jerry-ice cream bohemian raspberry, somehow. At some occasions I could, perhaps, find it a little too pungent.

 

My favorite so far, though. Yum.

[desertwaya]

i know this is one i loved.( im writing reviews from months ago that i forgot to do) this was one of the few imps i horded during swaps. im guessing plum and wine are my fav bpal scents,well i should say my skins favs. they stay the truest on me and dont over power.

 

since i kept this imp im assuming i wanted another bigger bottle. im going to try it again to make sure though.

[vegasblueblood]

This one certainly is bawdy and deliciously so! It is all plum and amaretto. Super fruity yet sweet without being cloying and it is drunken and boozy without making you feel like you just dumped a drink all over yourself. I love the Old West and the concept behind this blend. It's fun and spirited--definitely not for the faint of heart!

[Suu4LC]

Mmmm, this smells so good in the imp! I adore the lab's plum note, and this is rich and dark purple, with a strong shot of amaretto! Yum! Sexy and delicious!

 

On the skin the wine comes out more, keeping this from being too sweet or foody. This is SUCH a burgundy scent! Like burgundy velvet. A great mix of sweet and sexy. The lab's plum note is almost always win on me-same with currant. I am going to give this some time to fully dry, but so far, this is an amazing scent. I can see why it is so popular!

 

Yep, this is a total win! Dries down a bit softer and a little more powdery, but still delicious. So sexy and gorgeous! Added to the wishlist ;D

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Old fashioned cherry licorice. Skeptical tester is skeptical

 

Wet: Bit of an artificial cherry as soon as it goes on. Seconds later the plum and a kind of alcoholic smell I assume is the wine.

 

Drydown: I'm loving this plum note! There's a lot going on here so it's really hard to pick out what I'm smelling on any given sniff. The overall effect is great! It's very deep with the plum sitting just on top of it all. After about 20 minutes on my skin I can finally get a bit of the amaretto when up close.

 

Overall: The throw is great, the scent is full and beautiful, and you can play a fun game of "guess the note" on every wrist sniff.

[rymorg2]

I am sensitive so I diluted with jojoba oil....

 

In the bottle....YUM black currant! But with a liquor-ish bite.

 

On wet: the liquor scent comes to the surface first on my skin. For a little while it was a little strong.

 

Drydown: After some time the liquor smell faded out and the black currant stuck around. DH was sniffing me all day long so it will be a keeper!

 

This is THE strongest of the scents I have liked so far.

[MisterShrapnel]

This is one of the first blends I ever picked up. It was INSTANT LOVE in the bottle, mouthwatering and delicious. It's like raspberry Jell-O! In synesthetic terms, this makes me think of a bright, transparent magenta. Boozy, wet, and very sweet for quite a while, and once it's dry there's a faint curl of smokiness.

If I smell it too long I start thinking of car air fresheners (because it stays so tasty for so long that it feels a little artificial...) but really that's just scent associations...

and it's hard to take this one seriously since it's so fun and frivolous, but I CAN'T STOP SMELLING MY ARM. And it's made me rather giggly.

Edited to say that I've never actually worn this outside the house as a scent because I'd feel a little... cheap?, but I like dabbing it on when I get a sweet craving.

Love this. If you fancy a red fruit overdose, this might be just what you're looking for!

Edited December 15, 2008 by MisterShrapnel

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Plum and wine! Classy and decadent.

First on:

This goes black currant with a touch of plum on me, only... drier?

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, this has gone a tiny tad soapy, but the plum, wine and black currant are all there still. I wish for amaretto, though!

 

Another 20 mins later, it's a warm plum wine with just a hint of something darker.

 

Finally:

I rather liked it! I might consider giving this to a friend though...

[melrose]

This is so not me, but others love it on me. I'm just not into the one-note sweet, and this is what Bordello dries down to on me.

[mommy2gabe]

In the bottle - sweet candy

Wet - warm currant

Dry - red candy

 

Yum! This is on my bottle wishlist

[tajana]

This is like Bathsheba... but much, much sweeter. I got this imp for the Amaretto, but got only the barest hint of it. Instead, I got pure, intense CANDY FRUIT. Like hard candy. It reminds me of Jolly Ranchers. There isn't much else to say about it. Just powerfully strong, cheap candy. It doesn't smell perfumey, it doesn't smell pretty, it just smells like somebody melted a giant vat of high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and artificial flavorings. Nothing else! The plum aspect is particularly strong, as I recognize it from Bathsheba, but overall, this was just too much... I waited for it to dry down, but I had to wash it off, because it was all candy, all the time.

[awesomeoverlord]

Mmmm this is nice. In the imp it smells sweet, fruity, and a bit spicy.

 

On: oh my...what's this? A berry I can actually wear? Almost anyway -- it flattens out a bit on my skin and loses some of its complexity, but at least there's no sign of that gross chewable vitamin note that berries tend to turn into on me.

 

An hour later: still nice and sweet and fruity. It's not really me, but at least it actually smells good. If you normally have trouble with berry scent, this one may be worth a try -- maybe its the currant.

[Dianora]

I got a frimp of this in my last order from the lab, and thought I'd give it a shot. At first sniff in the imp, it was sweet and tart and berry, and I got strong flashbacks of eating pixie sticks in the summertime. It seemed like pure candy, but tart enough to be mouthwatering instead of insipid. I put it on, and wet it was much the same, the top notes shimmering and sparkling sweetness with something languid and sexy underneath. I was sure it was to be a bottle purchase. However, within a few minutes my skin ate most of the interesting notes and I was left with something that reminds me of a cheap berry bodyspray I owned as a child. Slightly alcoholic, very sweet berry, and just kind of flat. It lasted quite a while, but never got back to anything interesting or sophisticated on me.

 

Due to my skin chemistry, I am disappointed by how flat and one dimensional this turned, especially after such a promising beginning. Alas, it was not meant to be, but I put a few drops in my oil burner and now the room smells of that delicious complex sweet-tartness that I was hoping for. Not a total loss.

[serafina pekkala]

In the imp, this is sweet, a circle of amaretto, plum and blackcurrant. I can't detect any wine. Gosh, amaretto is really different from almond! What does this remind me of? Leather, a soap The Bodyshop used to have? No, it's Saint-Germain! In the way the perfume is built op: all the notes have become one. This is sexy, but not at all vulnerable, sweet, but not sugary, and tart up close. I like it.

[Usagi]

Imp: Candied cherries and something green, against a faint backdrop of alcohol

 

Wet: Creamy, sweet Amaretto

 

Dry down(2 hours later): sweet, waxy vanilla

 

Conclusion: This is definitely worth trying if you are looking for a rich, creamy scent with just a little bit of a boozy kick.

[amanderinorange]

Oh Bordello! I love your name and your scent!

 

In the imp: candied fruits and a hint of wine. I love sweet scents and this is fantastic.

 

On me: the candy smell lingers while the fruit fades away a bit. The wine starts to come out more, so that's good. This lasts for a few hours before having to reapply, which is better than some other scents I've tried that my skin seems to absorb.

 

Overall: A very lovely fruity wine. I wish I could find a wine that tastes as fruity as this smells, but so far no luck.

 

I ended up ordering a bottle of this and can't wait until it gets here!

[Kikkervisje]

I have two reasons for posting here. First is a decidedly quick review. Second is a question.

 

Ok, for me, I can't handle any scents straight from the bottle. So, I just skip that step. On me, this one begins *very* sharp and sweet--candied fruit and an obvious tinge of amaretto. It dries down to a deeper, muskier scent (the wine, I believe), but retains its sweetness. I find the amaretto intriguing, but I do think this one is rather too sweet for me. (I admit I took a chance on this one, as I have never been fond of fruity scents. More of a musk/woody/amber gal.)

 

My question is this. This scent actually gives me an extremely bad headache when I wear it (None of the other scents I've tried do: Dorian, Kubla Khan, Velvet, Calico Jack, Oblivion, Umbra, and Black Tower.). I've given it two shots about a week apart to determine if it was the cause or not. It is. Does anybody know what note may be most likely to be causing this? I'm trying to pinpoint the problematic note (or combination of notes?), so that I can avoid it in the future.

 

Thank you ahead of time!

[TilHelvete]

Smells like cherry jolly ranchers, with some sweet creamy notes underneath like in the too-sweet Cathouse.

 

The berry notes in it smell cheap and synthetic.

[FeatherQwill]

Wet: Warm, yummy, vaguely foodlike.

 

Dry: A bit of spice comes out, but still the same scent in general.

 

 

Overall: 7/10, a bit heavier than I would like, but quite nice all the same.

[riflmom]

I got this as a fimp in my last order, and decided to wear it to bed last night -- how can you go wrong with Bordello in bed, right?

 

It was nice and rich berry-sweet at first, but then after a few minutes the only thing I smelled was cherry-vanilla birthday cake - the one you would ask your mom to make when you're eight years old. Funny, but not really the sexy berry/wine-y scent I was expecting.

 

I'll give it another try to see if my skin reacts better next time...

[ouch!]

YUMSVILLE! If you missed Midwinter's Eve?This could be your best substitute!!

 

The desciption of this scent is so brilliant, but the scent is not true to it in my opinion. The scent is still right up my alley though!

 

This doesn't make me think of bawdy strippers and corsets, it's not slutty enough. This is sweet berries with vanilla.

The actual base of the scent doesn't change very much, it just get's sweeter on drydown.

It's so so yummy, like sweets and ice cream and pinkness! Not red velvety corsets and things. This is an innocent soft playful scent that reminds me a hell of alot of Midwinter's Eve (As I said).

I get no burgundy wine, meaning..there is no boozy element to this whatsoever. Which makes me happy because it could have relly really ruined it.

The most prominent notes are the two fruits, but they are covered in a blanket of sweet sugar and vanilla! This is a slathering scent for me, I wanna bathe in it.

But while I've got my bottle of Midwinter's Eve, I can hold off on buying this in bottle form. Least I know it's there.

 

[Ceri]

In the vial: Black currant & cherry

Wet: Sweet black currant candy, almost overwhelmingly sweet.

Dry: The sweetness toned down and the wine note is more apparent.

Overall: This faded extremely fast on me. 5 minutes into the scent and it's barely there. Not for me.