French Creole

[twistygirl]

Draws influential, powerful people into your life. Helps make your wishes and desires into a reality.

This is a very strong, unusual scent. It was quite spicy and overpowering at first, it has dried down to something much more wearable. I can't quite pick out what the dominant smell is - cinnamon? It kind of smells like Red Hots to me. A combination of Red Hots and the Catholic Church. That's the only way I can describe it




PLEASE NOTE: This review topic is for the former Voodoo Blend, now discontinued, named French Creole. If you're looking for the Twilight Alchemy Lab oil of the same name, those reviews are here. --Shollin

[Polexia]

I feel like Neil Youngs Cinnamon Girl.

But the end of the day the scent had faded completely

[blackrayne]

Tropical flowers mixed with decay and a dab of a very ancient power. Didn't smell or feel the cinnamon at first, but now that it's been on my wrist for a few minutes I am getting the oh-too-familiar burning that is a definite warning sign for me.

 

I will surely be keeping this one, though it is unwearable for me - it's going in an oil burner once I finally invest in one.

[janelle_hell]

This smells like cinnamon and hot,wet flowers....sort of like Old New Orleans mixed with Love Me. It didn't have much staying power,though-i had to reapply it several times over the course of the day.

[heartbeast]

Not cinnamon for me--clovey clovey cloves! Luscious wet sort of cloves--maybe the open blossoms instead of the dried buds we're used to? Anyhow, wet it was all cloves. As it dries down, I get baby powder--only nice and comforting, with a little spice, not nasty cloying baby powder--and then a little freshly baked white cake steals in. There's a little bit of floral in there too, but it's off in the distance and impossible for me to identify.

 

For most of the day, it's a pleasant and comforting blend of clove, baby powder and white cake, until at the very end of the day it's all blended together in a cohesive sweetness like the marischino cherry at the very bottom of a glass of cherry coke, after it's been sitting in there awhile. I like this one very much!

[xoe]

I really like this one too. and I feel like it works.

It definitely is full of cloves. Cloves Cloves CLOVES.

 

It is drawing powerful and influential peole into my life. OR else that's just a coincidence, but it doesn't feel like it. And right before I put it on I think of what I'm wishing for and in some way that wish comes true.

 

Not always in the way that I actually wished, but it is technically true to my wish.

 

I may need a full bottle of this.

[MissHavisham]

Not cinnamon for me--clovey clovey cloves!  Luscious wet sort of cloves--maybe the open blossoms instead of the dried buds we're used to?  Anyhow, wet it was all cloves.  As it dries down, I get baby powder--only nice and comforting, with a little spice, not nasty cloying baby powder--and then a little freshly baked white cake steals in.  There's a little bit of floral in there too, but it's off in the distance and impossible for me to identify

 

I loved reading this description! You've articulated a number of things here that I couldn't quite pinpoint. I didn't get the cinnamon either, but would love to know what the floral element in the distance is. It's something sweet and familiar but it's still eluding me. And I thought I smelt the faintest hint of something citrus when I first applied it, but that seems to have disappeared now.

 

I may need a full bottle of this one too.

 

EDIT: Just fixed up the rather confused quote-coding. --Shollin

Edited September 2, 2004 by Shollin

[darkitysnark]

French Creole

 

I second (third? fourth?) the strong cloves impression. I've been dealing with a toothache this past week and have been sucking on cloves at work to soothe myself... this smell really put me at ease.

 

The Mr.'s first impression was of myrrh, actually. Granted, he current has a bit of a cold, but he put his nose right on my wrist and inhaled deeply to pick up that note.

 

I'm only about 20 minutes into wearing this, so I can't comment on lasting power yet, but the cloves have now been joined by a corrupted floral/masculine scent. Something forceful and assertive.

 

Hm... maybe I should build a scent library to sharpen up my descriptions...

 

ETA: The Mr. has deemed this one his favorite scent. Last night, over 12 hours after initial application, he sniffed my neck and made with the "rowr".

Edited September 15, 2004 by darkitysnark

[pekeana]

In the vial, French Creole is all clove, with a hint of something else playing beneath it. Something floral and lemony. I inhale clove and exhale spiced lemon.

 

On me, the clove comes out for a while, then retreats completely to be replaced with something soapy and musky.

 

Eh. Not fond of it, but I'll test it out one more time before I decide to keep it or not.

[Ctrlfreak]

Mmmm, cloves. This just got better and better as the day went on! I layered it slightly with the tiniest touches of Water of Notre Dame because I was going for effect rather than scent, but it worked beautifully. The two didn't really mix, they more wrapped about each other.

 

Now, as for effect: I'm not sure yet what the final outcome will be. But I wore this to a meeting with our HR department (supposed to be my exit interview) and was told that they want to keep me and wish to review my salary as a result. Now, I do not intend to stay, but I was able to stay calm and focused throughout while we worked on some very difficult topics. And the revised salary offer (when/if it arrives) may be helpful in court.

 

But the gist of it is, I wore it, I've been informally offered money. So there you go.

[ChupaChup]

French Creole works really well on me. Wet, I get the really fresh clove aroma, kind of green, more like clove bud than the dried things you stick in ham. At that point, there is a tiny bit of the herbal note I've detected in several of the voodoo oils, but that goes away in about 15 minutes. Then I get nutmeg! The cloves fade into the background and I end up with a lovely bakery smell. Cloves alone were enough to make me want to try this oil but add the nutmeg and I'm in heaven. No cinnamon at all for me.

[Lido]

I'm not very good at detecting individual notes, but I can definitely smell the nutmeg and cloves, too, and maybe myrrh in the dry-down phase? This is definitely my favorite BPAL oil so far -- it just gets better and better the longer it's on my skin, the bit that leaked into my bag has turned out to be a delight rather than a tragedy, and I just can't get enough of it!

 

Also, for me this is a scent that reacts very nicely to body heat -- without being overpowering or maybe even detectable to others (only one comment, that just after applying), I feel like I'm in a very close-lying cloud of scent. It reminds me a bit of the effect of Must de Cartier, but spicier and without the heavy-duty musk note.

 

Whether it lives up to its other claims I don't know, but I've had a good week and in general, it makes me feel... prosperous? confident? protected? Whatever it is, bring on the economy-sized drum, lab staff, if you please.

[glampyre]

At first, French Creole is all tobacco and hot leather. OOh la LA! And then the spices start developing, the hotter notes recede to the depths, and a rich, creamy, (cinnamon-clove-nutmeg, and something more exotic like a deep wood) spicy smell takes over.

 

Yum yum yum

love it love it love it.

 

I have to edit to add that while wearing this, I heard the news that one of my knitting designs was accepted for publication.

 

I think I have to have a bigger bottle of this! It really is good luck.

Edited October 17, 2004 by glampyre

[Northernminx]

Lots of cinnamon and clove, warm, spicey and unusual. There's something almost metallic and biting beneath the warmth, making this a little mysterious and seductive. It's a little too masculine for me even if I do have a 5ml on the way. I may bequeath this to one of my good friends who was looking for something unusual for his new character.

[Morrighana]

There is something...odd...about French Creole. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think I like it. In the imp, I detect a very brown-green scent...not brown like, dirt...but...like...coca cola and fresh green herbs and spices. Odd is definately the right word for it.

 

Upon application, the herbs take the fore, with the clove that other people have mentioned peeking its head out in the open for the first time. There is a tinge of something that I just can't manage to place...it is nutmeggy, but there is something else, something greener and with more bite. It's not a perfumey scent at all, but that's not really a bad thing...

 

As French Creole settles in on my skin, it becomes more of the hot, spicy clove scent that others have described. It is definately not *just* clove, though, as I have an imp of Beth's clove single note, and this is wildly different. This is a primal clove, stalking its sweaty prey through the jungle in the middle of the night.

 

The more I sniff this, the more I am wholly glad I ordered 10mLs of this before it was discontinued! I have the same visceral reaction to this blend as I do to Bloodlust---it makes me want to bite things ---but French Creole is more of a lusty bite, wheras Bloodlust is, true to its name, just out for blood.

[velvet]

this smells exactly like new orleans to me

 

its almost as if there is a tea note

and something else sweet in the background

whywhywhy was this discontinued!!

i love it sooo much

please bring it back beth

i have seen no real bad review for it either!

 

anyway

i want to bathe in this.. it smells too good!

[Rheliwen]

I almost bought a 5ml of this when it was discontinued and decided to get in imp instead...I wish I had ordered the 5ml!

 

This blend is very tart and a bit salty. I think it smells like grape syrup (the kind they use for shave ice or popsicles) and cloves.

 

Wet, this is much more salty and high in the nose. It's a bit sour, but in a good way.

 

Dry, the clove mellows the sour out and it becomes a nice, sweet perfume. Definitely different than anything you can find anywhere else.

[fairywingmaker]

I'm getting a cinnamon, clove scent. In the background there is a leather, maybe even patchouli scent. I'm glad I was able to try an imp!

[Gin]

Smells like carnations and nutmeg with something slightly herbal... lavender, maybe? And lemon? As it dries, it goes mostly clovey on me with maybe a hint of leather. I think this would make a good room scent.

[joseybird]

*sniffed from imp*

 

Heady, dry spices, especially nutmeg and hot cinnamon with an underlay of soft flowers. This is an exotic scent, a hot scent, an enticing scent. Even though I generally don't like Red Hots, this scent WORKS. It's really really nice =) If it were still in the general catalogue, I would buy a bottle--

 

--but, like Bat's Blood, if I kept this imp I'd become depressed about not being able to get my hands on a full bottle, so...swaps!

[byrdie]

TMI ~ My nose is stuffed-up from packing, but I'm taking a break to do one more review before I go off-line for the weekend.

 

Note ~ I barely have enough of this left to dampen my pretty perfume bottle, but at least I can give it a go before I pack it away.

 

Vial ~ A sweet, womanly perfume. It reminds me of the combined scent of soaps and shampoos one can smell in women's locker rooms at swimming pools.

 

Wet ~ Somewhat sharp and chemical at first. Almost a chlorine smell, which could explain the swimming pool association.

 

Drying ~ It has a weird, almost daisy-like smell to me. Considering that daisies can sometimes smell awful, that's not a good thing. Why did I buy a 5ml of this again? I'm wondering if the recipe had to change substantially after I'd tried my imp.

 

Drydown ~ A light, sweet floral. Oddly, it's not turning my stomach today. However, it is turning a little powdery.

 

Dry ~ Okay, now it's developing into the scent I remember it being. This is the oil I suspect was made with black narcissus. It's a light, but tropical seeming floral. Sexy, but not overbearing. The sweetness has dimmed some, but what remains is enchanting the floral rather than standing on its own.

 

Fade ~ Lighter, but not much change.

 

Final thoughts ~ It takes a while for this one to become what I remember it being. While I'm sorry that I fell out of love with it, this last hurrah only made me a little nostalgic. It was an ill-fated fling, and I'm glad that both the imp and my first-ever 5ml purchase went to good homes.

[shelldoo]

ok call me a freak but i get lime, when i open the bottle it is so lime, but not artificial lime like candy but a real fresh lime, and clove

 

ok as it dries i am getting a pretty balanced blend of lime and clove w/ something that actually smells like soda? maybe dr pepper? very odd...i do not get florals, or bakery i get dr pepper w/ a lime twist and a clove garnish...definitely a different smell

[grrrlennyl]

at first: a sharp, herbal scent, i think i may smell something similar to eucalyptus.

on: i think i smell flat cola, maybe some alcohol, along with something biting. a bit herby.

1 hour later: a general warm, sweet scent.

overall: i don't think i would wear this as a perfume, but it could be useful.

[cuervosueno]

I bought a 5 ml. of this just before it was discontinued--I was looking for a clove-note scent and I liked the reviews.

On me, this starts out all clove, though its a soft clove, like cloves and something sweet--I think someone said something about white cake, and that seems right to me...white cake and cloves. It is soft, slightly powdery, very nice.

When it fades, it is like coca-cola.

Unfortunately, it fades very fast on me.

And when I first wore it--in Dec.--it had that lovely cakey clove scent, but lately its turned a little wierd on me....with a slight metalic edge....

Huh. I think I'll swap it. I also tend to us the voodoo blends as, well, voodoo blends, and I'm not sure I'd use this much.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Oh wow, what a weird fragrance. Green and bitter, like grass and grated lemon peel. Cinnamon and cloves waft up as well; spicy and bitterly green.

On me: It goes oddly metallic on me. I had oral surgery last week and for some reason, this scent is triggering memories of the blood-soaked padding that covered my gums while they healed. The scent itself doesn't smell bloody, so I don't know why these memories are brought back so strongly. The scent itself is like metal and cloves. Either way, it's an unpleasant experience, influencial people drawn in or not.