Hunger

[ladymissspyder]

Evokes sheer, unadulterated carnal lust. An undeniably warm and sensual scent. Black narcissus, orange blossoms, and vanilla.

In the imp, this seemed a bit astringent and strong. The effect lasted through the first five minutes...and then it became a lovely floral. Florals have a tendency to become very overpowering and sweet on me, but I think the vanilla grounded it just enough to keep me from smelling like an attack bouquet.

It's very formal and feminine in a society-lady way on me. I like it, and I'll keep my imp (it's appropriate for weddings), but it's not something that I'd wear every day.

[aidenraine]

First the floral, then the orange. Oh! Chocolate oranges, interesting. Then a bit of creamy vanilla. It's like a white chocolate truffle with a bit of orange liquer mixed in. Definitely makes me a bit hungry. It's a nice orange scent

 

Oh no, it's drying to smell like glue on me. Like that Elmer's paste that's kinda clumpy "Glue-All?" I can't remember the name. The stuff in the tubs, whose cap has a stick attached. It's the floral combining with the vanilla that's making the paste, I believe. Paste with oranges. Um... hmmm..

 

Ok, it's staying in the paste stage. I'm sad that the floral lept on top of the orange and the vanilla because that seems to be the cause. This is so... almost good on me.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Something a bit spicy, a bit tart.

 

On, wet: That spicy/tartness really comes to the fore. Not getting any vanilla, but I like this, oh yes!

 

30 minutes: The vanilla joins in to turn this scent into a really round, dark, warm sort of scent. I do find this one sexy, though I couldn't say why. It's very not foody, the vanilla stays in the background. This is the kind of dark/spice/floral/sexy scent I never thought I'd be able to wear. Thank you, BPAL.

[sookster]

smoky, warm amazing blend....i love this

 

smells like snake oil with vanilla mixed in to soften it up....after awhile, this really

transforms into the most sensational fragrance....incredible and unique....this one

would be positively perfect for layering with many other lab blends...

 

just wonderful

[faifai]

Maybe it's just me, but my imp of Hunger doesn't smell remotely like any review of Hunger that's here, in the vial or on my skin. No creaminess, no orange blossom, no vanilla, no wannabe Creamsicle, nothing.

 

On me, it smells dark, sharp, acrid, like a mix every BPAL note I have tried and loathed. I just get this cacophony of dark, jagged notes, like patchouli and red musk and so on. If I wait for, say, a couple hours, then it calms down into something mildly pleasant yet still unidentifiable. The phase I have to go through to get there is not worth it. I'll give the imp to my friend who gets along with it.

[~AmusedMuse~]

My Impression , wow the labs description of this is pretty accurate. I only wish the orange note were a bit stronger in this one. Also I am getting a chocolate note not described. Still it is quite lovey.

[BlackDahlia]

OOooooohhhhhhh my goodness.

 

This was perfection in the bottle!! I really adored it and thought that my beloved Jack was getting bumped from the top o' his perch for me. VERY sensual aroma. I could easily smell the vanilla with the scent of narcissus gently drifting by.

 

On the skin I got a bitter orange tang that took away from my first thrill with the aroma. Now as it has dried down (and I have continued to sniff the back of my hand ~ it is quite nice... but boy those first orage-y moments were very sharp on me.

 

A keeper for me... I will probably convert my imp to a homemade linen spray.

*Puuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*

[Vampire Sass]

In The Bottle: Dirt and licorice.

 

Wet: It smells much sweeter, and the dirt and licorice notes are mostly gone. It begins to smell like vanilla and a spicy flower.

 

Dry: This scent is very strong and unchanging and lasted at least 12 hours. There's a lingering sharpness that makes me wrinkle my nose every time I smell it.

 

I was really disappointed by Hunger. It was in my top ten to try and it definitely didn't live up to my expectations. The initial scent was very discouraging. The dry scent isn't bad, but I doubt I would wear it often. I ordered an imp from the lab, and got a second from the lovely Red Empress. I will probably be giving one to a friend, Mirrored Peacock, since it was on her "To Try" list, and the other I will keep to use occasionally. I am hoping that another test might be better, but I won't hold my breath.

Edited October 14, 2005 by Vampire Sass

[Freyja Lux]

Good lord, this is sexy! I'm usually afraid to try vanilla scents but this one was paired with a good floral and they even out so nicely. The orange blossom gives the vanilla a lightness. So charming! A very edible scent. So glad I got this one! Beth, you rock!!

[aedes]

I got this because I love narcissus and thought it would be a great, dark, sexy floral. What I got smelled foody somehow, but I didn't know what food. I let the boy have a sniff and he said "mm! Thai food!"

 

He's right! Thai food! Ah! Well, okay, it smells like this specific dish I get with beef, ginger, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, all that good stuff. It smells meaty, but not like a slab of raw meat. Meaty like a mushroom is meaty. How very odd! Once it dries, I get more of a vanilla smell. But it's too foody for me to wear without getting the overwhelming desire to reach for a Singha and some jasmine rice.

[em_h]

Wet: Floral and orange. The narcissus is threatening to become one of those rather harsh take-over florals, the way jasmine and lotus are on me. But let's see where it goes.

 

Drying: This one's a bit of a morpher. Initially the narcissus is strongly dominant, though less harsh than I'd feared. Then slowly some wafts of orange emerge, and then the vanilla, and after an hour or so it becomes a pleasant, rather foody orange-vanilla blend. It stays this way for maybe another hour and a half, and then the narcissus comes back, and slowly takes over as the dominant note again.

 

No one can accuse this perfume of being monotonous. I like the orange-vanilla phase the best (it's the first time orange has not gone nasty on me), but all the changeableness is interesting. Not a great favourite, but certainly worth wearing again.

[Fefferbella]

This is a sexy scent.

 

Smokey floral and sweet vanilla with just a hint of sharp citrus flowers.

This is one of my boyfriends favorite scents on me. And it lasts for hours!

 

Deffinately getting a BIG bottle of this one.

[cuervosueno]

Got this as a frimp, put it on, having no idea what was in it. But I like it quite a bit--its a creamy floral that goes nicely powdery on me, with a sweet note I should be able to identify but can't.

 

then I looked at the description.

 

Holy smokes! Black narcissus? I HATE narcissus!

 

Or, guess I don't because I like this. I do love me some vanilla, so I suppose that explains the attraction, but I have to hang my head in shame for saying how much I hated narcissus.....

 

this is a nice sweet sexy blend. I won't get a bottle, but I enjoy it. Reminds me a bit of vixen.

[silverlilac]

First impression: medicinal like dry and brittle old gauze. Once the oil works it's way into my skin, the vanilla comes out a bit. Slowly but surely the sweetness takes over, but it's not a pretty transformation; at one point Play-doh came to mind. But after all is smelled and done, I get an echo of Snake Oil, a little bit of creamsicle.

 

I wouldn't say this is very sexy to me, and I know the name refers to lustful hunger, but it does remind me of being physically hungry: the sharp pangs and the slow euphoric sweetness of acceptance of an empty belly.

[lookingglass]

This is one of those instant loves for me.

 

At first I thought this was going to be so like Snake Oil that I was going to have to give her up...very dark, rich, and vanilla-y.

 

...but NOO-ooo.The orange and narcissus make this scent unique. Drying down the orange is very ORANGE (don't be scared), but fades out into just a hit of citrus with a faint, sweet, powdery floral. I can almost not even call it floral it is so soft and creamy. Light and dark in the same bottle...how I imagine black narcissus to look.

 

I love Beth's gourmonds that are not straight up foody. I don't know how she does it. They drive the men wild, ladies, they do. If you are afraid of gourmonds, try this one. Or don't...more for me!!!!!!!!

 

(Slathers on some more....umphf...orgasmic).

 

This is fabulous...a new addition to the top 10.

 

It is one of those scents that is a part of me. It does not feel applied or perfumey...just wonderful...goddess like...

 

I have become Aphrodite...if only for a moment.

 

Excuse me while I add this to my big bottle list...

[Diana]

This is an odd duck for me, and slightly difficult to describe. There's just something inherently difficult about trying to describe something as intangible as scent, and this one is is harder than usual, because I don't have a frame of reference for what I'm perceiving.

 

The orange blossom & vanilla are very strong when this is wet, but as it dries, the vanilla becomes the dominiant note, but with a weird edge. The orange blossom disappears after about 15 minutes on me.

 

This reminds me greatly of the first BPAL I ever tried, Blood Kiss, which I hated (and now I'd like to retry a year or so later, as I've grown to appreciate some of the notes a bit more since then). The vanilla has that same quality to it in this. I thought it was perhaps the poppy (in BK), but it must be something else, since Hunger has no poppy listed. The vanilla has an almost dusty, musty smell to it. Maybe it is the black narcissus? I'm not sure exactly what notes go into making all this happen, though.

 

This is not foody, floral, nor particularly sweet. I can't really tell if I like it or if I'm just ambivalent towards it. I don't mind smelling this way, but I don't know if this is something I'd purposely try to smell like often to warrant an actual bottle. I think I can make out alright with the occasional imp that lands in my packages. Still, I cannot stop smelling my wrists or tucking my head into my shirt!

Edited December 17, 2005 by Diana

[undream]

It takes me a few whiffs out of the imp, but then I recognize the orange scent - which I am excited about as I love orange - very warm and lovely! On my skin, it becomes a orange & chocolate. Like others here, it immediately reminds me of those fantastic chocolate oranges, mmm. I detect vanilla as well, &it is altogether just very warm and lush and deeeeelicious.

 

I am loving it sooo much, but after about only five minutes on my skin, it turns into a prickly medicinal smell! To be fair, it's not a BAD smell - I can see someone liking it - it just really is not a good smell for me. Too prickly! Like someone dropped that luscious chocolate orange into a cactus with some vicks vapor rub.

 

It mellows after a bit, but that sharp, medicine smell is still there, sadly. I'll give it another shot in hopes we can warm up to one another, otherwise I'll pass it on. And I was so loving this one for a moment!

[ice queen]

The narcissus is sooooooo strong on me - don't like it at all, which is a real shame as I thought from the description I may love it.

I don't really get any of the vanilla.

Had to get it off after half an hour - it's so overpowering on me - hubby loves it, which is a shame !

[Ayln]

All I got from this was smoke. No other notes at all, no described notes, just smoke.

[Thaleia]

Received mine in a swap from the lovely lorajc. It's ... brown! In my limited experience, this is the first oil I've come across that's this dark, so I was surprised. I'm imagining now that it's going to smell like chocolate, even though I know it won't.

 

In the vial, this smells very warm and sexy. It's a vanilla floral, but in a different way from Euphrosyne - that vanilla floral (which I only get once it's dry) is more of a lighthearted, mirthful one, while Hunger smells like that already and screams "Take me now!"

 

The first thing I detect when I put it on is the sharpness of narcissus, similar to the one in Pride, but Pride's rose is heady enough to contend with the narcissus. Orange blossom and vanilla are no match for this black flower, but they do lend an underlying sweet warmth to the overall scent. It's a dark, seductive scent, and I might be prevailed upon to use it when the occasion calls for it ... but my previous experience dictates that the boys I hang out with prefer something fruity-sweet, like Bon Vivant or Pink Phoenix. Or maybe I just hang out with immature boys.

 

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I thought I'd like this, because it's unique and I wanted to at least try it, but it's not me. It dries a powdery, Band-Aidy smell that also has a hint of doctor's office, as I got with Jolly Roger. Oh no. Hunger gets a 2.5.

[rhubarbbear]

i'm a slow learner. i love orange blossoms and vanilla. unfortunatly, bpal vanilla tends to go dusty on me, and the orange blossom note tends to give me a headache. but i get so excited when i see them, i'm sure THIS will be the time they work!

 

sadly, hunger wasn't my magic bullet i don't know if the vanilla went dusty or not, bc i couldn't get close enough, due to the orange blossom.

 

ah well.

[brownbear]

This one starts out mostly orange blossom. As it dries it gets more dusty and dark. There is a little bit of the floral narcissus that comes through. But overall it is orange blossom. After it dries completely the vanilla does something weird on my skin. It starts to get a little sour. Before that it is a really nice scent though.

[PirateMaggie]

Short review: Hell's Belle has some serious competition.

 

Longer review: In the vial, all I was able to smell was the black narcissus, a very sharp, dark, bitter smell. Immediately upon hitting my skin, though, the orange and vanilla come out and the narcissus stops shrieking its presence. On drydown, the narcissus becomes rich and dark and soft--velvety, even--rather than jagged and insistent. The vanilla and orange continue to mingle and become deliciously creamy while any potential Creamsicle icky-stickiness is darkened and tempered by the narcissus. I can see how people were getting "chocolate orange" results--I'm not actually smelling chocolate per se, but am getting wafts that remind me of fine, rich orange-vanilla confection with a slight caramel undertone. Weirdly, though, this isn't really a foody smell. The narcissus both grounds the scent it and gives it a certain headiness. I'm not sure how Beth manages it, but her vanillas don't become cloying.

 

Throw is medium--it carries a bit from my body, but isn't invasive and would invite others to come closer. It lasts well, and none of the notes really fade.

 

Hunger is a sexy, lush, decadent blend. It's slinkier and more languid than Hell's Belle--where La Belle immediately puts me in the mood for mischief and wicked flirtation, Hunger is a bit less taunting and a bit more elegant: it's a bias cut silk evening gown rather than torn fishnets and combat boots. Though I love both blends on their own, I'm going to try layering them.

 

I have a big bottle of this on the way, which is a good thing because my imp is quickly running out.

 

Edited to add that the Boy, who doesn't much care for perfume, loves Hunger. Whenever I wear it he tells me how good I smell and makes extra fuss over me.

Edited February 1, 2006 by PirateMaggie

[Rhowan]

In the bottle: a very clean, sweet, floral

 

Wet:Mostly floral with just a tad of orange but the Narcissus is still prominent

 

Dry Down: Ahhh! This is very nice! The orange has emerged and it is a sweet, creamy orange. The floral is there but not enough for this to smell overly floral which is my pet peeve.

 

Conclusion: This is a beautiful simple yet complex scent. The orange is so creamy, but the Narcissus gives it just a hint of floral so this doesn't end up smelling like an orange creamscicle! I would say I need a 5 ml!

[batsy]

Oh yes. Yes yes yes! This was one of the first Imps I ever tried, and instantly became my personal favorite. The black narcissus, orange blossom, and vanilla are so well mixed; neither outweighs or overpowers the others. Spicy, warm and sensual -- the longer you wear it, it stays with you. After a day or two of wearing it in a row, you notice the vanilla more, but it's not an over-powering vanilla. Even the orange notes you catch. Simply beautiful!