Three Witches

[Miss Lynx]

Warm cinnamon, husky clove and white pepper.

Although the description didn't sound like it would have as much depth and complexity as I like in a scent, I couldn't resist ordering this because so many other spicy scent fans seemed to consider it the Holy Grail.

And I do basically like it, but not as much as I'd hoped to. The pepper note is quite dominant at the beginning, a not altogether pleasant foody scent that smells more like I should be putting it into a sauce or something than wearing it (though I'm not entirely sure I'd *want* it in a sauce -- it smells a bit... off). But thankfully that dies down before long, leaving a fairly nice cinnamon-clove scent. But that too fades within an hour or two. Not a lot of staying power here.

It doesn't have the excessive sweetness of Bengal, but it doesn't really have the incensey depth of Chimera either, though it's definitely in the same scent-family as both of them. It's pleasant enough, but having just ordered a 5 mL of Chimera, I'm not convinced I need them both. I will probably be passing this on to someone who will love it more than I do.

Grade: B Edited February 17, 2006 by Shollin

[kettu]

This is absolutely lovely on me. Lynx is definitely giving this to someone who can appreciate it more than her: ME!! Mine mine mine! I can't wear Bengal or Chimera, but I can wear Three Witches! Woohoo!

 

This is what Alone wanted to be and couldn't. Three Witches... oh how I love you! Though it stinks in the bottle, all three scents are completely harmonious on my skin, with none of them vying for dominance. Absolutely perfect.

[seamor]

I expected this to be a strong scent, because of the cinnamon and clove, but on me, it is very light, primarily clove. I generally expect clove to be earth-and-fiery, but this seems airy somehow. It makes me want to take very deep breaths, take the scent in, open my lungs up wide. As it dries and fades a bit, I get a very pleasant tickle of the white pepper. I like this, and I'm not sure why, because I don't have a feeling of actually smelling it very much. Next time I'll try putting more on.

 

 

So, okay, I tried it again. This time I could swear I smelled vanilla, with just a dash of clove and pepper. A couple of hours later it warmed up into a nice cinnamon/clove scent, which lasted at least a couple of hours. Then, the next time I noticed it a few hours later, it had died down to a sweet, musky scent with a hint of mole' sauce. I really liked this, but what the...? Is it my nose?

 

"Well, this is odd", says I. "I'll have to try it again."

Edited February 3, 2006 by celtimor

[Tallulah]

First review eep

 

First sniff : Confusing to my nose, i could definetly get the clove and pepper, but glorious!

 

On the skin: this just warmed up right away! The pepper seems to compliment the cinnamon and clove wonederfully. I can smell all three at the same time, this makes a comforting yet spiked aura around me.

 

Rating :5/5

[girlmadasbirds]

delicious! i smell mostly cinnamon with a bit of clove in the background. it reminds me of staying indoors on a cold day and baking.

[chapatti]

Resurrected version

 

 

The reviews for this fabled, long-discontinued scent were indeed marvellous.

Of course, the moment it got resurrected, I had to jump on it, right?

 

First whiff:...ah.

It smells... revolting in the bottle. Like almost burned bacon bits, more specifically.

On me, it's, well, what it's supposed to be I guess, pepper, clove and a tad bit of cinnamon. It feels very medicinal, actually.

 

Drydown: from the reviews of this resurrected version, the cinnamon is supposed to be very strong, smothering the other notes... boy, I wish I had that! On me, it's strong, freshly grated clove, harsh pepper and a barely-detectable dribble of cinnamon, in that order.

After a couple of hours, it's much more mellow, with a hint of light, gentle sweetness. It's much nicer. It fades rather quickly by that point, though.

 

Verdict: meh again. I was hoping for something decadently spicy, instead of which I smell like, well, cooking.

I tried layering it with Chimera and it gave it a nice, extra quick though, so it might be good for me to use strictly as a layering scent.

 

7/10

[sarada]

I tried the original over a year ago as a frimp and couldn't pass it along fast enough: it burned my skin (cinnamon is a common culprit for that, but pepper even moreso) and gave me the whole craft store vibe, from the cinnamon. I did get a quick sensation of "Christmas!" because clove/cinnamon always makes me think of holiday potpourri and candle scents but I figured that this was a no-go on me.

 

So I have a few drops of this in an empty bottle now, but I like it a lot more. I only tested a trace amount, but it didn't burn my skin, and smelled really nice on me. I still don't care for cinnamon, but I love clove, and I get a lot more from this. It reminds me a little too much of "red-hots" and I can't stand when people tell me I smell like Cinnabon, but still, I'm digging it.

 

Actually, I couldn't stop sniffing it when I was testing it last night. It's more of a 'sniffer' than a 'wearer' for me, so when I get a little more of this to put in my bottle I will probably just open it to smell now and again, to clear my head. It also reminds me of Al-Shairan, but without the slightly woodchippy vibe I got from that as it dried down. As much as I like wood scents, that one became a little like a spicy hamster cage on me.

 

So Three Witches Resurrected is quite a success for me, though not one that I will probably wear more than once or twice a year. I like knowing that I have a nice strong clove at my disposal if I need it though, and the layering possibilities are definitely there.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: a lovely, simple combination. i smell the clove first, and then the cinnamon and pepper. lovely.

on: cinnamon and pepper. sweet, but hot. very interesting, if a bit thin to my nose.

half an hour later: very hot. i can't believe my skin isn't red from this one. i can definitely smell the fullness of clove, plus the pepper and cinnamon.

1.5 hours later: all cinnamon. i may detect a hint of pepper.

4.5 hours later: slightly sweet and cinnamony.

overall: not a scent for me.

[jewelbug]

Bottle: This is definitely spice. But in the bottle, there is a very odd tinge. It reminds me of…cat treats?! You know, those little soft Pounce ones. So, this smells like spice and cat treats. Hope its better on!

 

Wet: I smell almost all cinnamon, but sort of the red hot/big red variety. At the very end, I catch a whiff of clove.

 

Early Dry: There is that tinge of cat treat remaining, making it cinnamon, clove and cat treat. Maybe that’s the white pepper? Luckily, the cat treat is gone by the 30 min mark.

 

Late dry: This dried down to a predominantly clove smell with a bit of bigred gum cinnamon.

Overall: Lasts 5+ hours. This is a very nice spice blend (once the cat treat smell goes away). I think it would make a good house scent, but I don't think I could pull it off as a perfume. But then….this got mixed with O on my arm. And Smut. Mmmmmm…..I'm considering keeping 3 witches around just for blending possibilities.

Edited February 10, 2006 by jewelbug

[darkitysnark]

Three Witches, resurrected

 

A decanted swap from ketalady :bowdown:, thanks lady!

 

I love all three notes going in to this, though I've had burning issues with another company's cinnamon perfume oil... so I slathered medium to light and only on my wrists (the neck flesh, she is tres sensitive, no?).

 

There was a warning tingle, and a sudden flash like magnesium flares, but then just as quickly it was gone.

 

On me this is a short lived blend. I think my skin ate it.

 

While it was with me for those few scant hours, I got a full, round cinnamon with a warm, dry clove bottom and just a dash of pepper. Also a very heavy generic "baking" smell. Even though all of the components are classified as "foodie" it was much foodier than I expected.

 

In general I'm OK with this. I think it would be better as a room scent for me. If I get brave later, I might try it behind my ears.

[stinkycretingurl]

i was having an absolutely horrible day when the order arrived so i put this one away. i thought it was the badness of the day that influenced my perception of it. that was a couple months ago.

 

i tested it twice this past weekend. in the bottle it is unimpressive. slightly cinnamon with faint lurking clove.

on the skin it warms and the clove and pepper arrive and bloom. it's quite lovely and intriguing.

on dry down, it smells remarkably like big red chewing gum. sweet, cinnamon, clove, spice. i liked this stage of it.

after about half an hour of wearing the notes begin to blend and sour. the second time i tested it i realized what it smelled like: ancient ketchup with a faint hint of dill pickles. like, ketchup in the bottom of the bottle in the recycling bin for a week. it's not terribly unpleasant, mind you. just not really for me.

--scg

[tartsquid]

In the bottle: smells very intriguing! The cinnamon note is strong but the clove and pepper is definitely there.

 

Wet: Strong cinnamon. Reminds me of cinnamon altoids.

 

Drydown: Still very strongly cinnamon.

 

I waited over an hour hoping for some clove to come out but I still smell nothing but cinnamon. I like cinnamon but I was hoping for something else to compliment the scent, espcially since I like cloves.

 

I layered a little with Red Lantern and found out that I liked that a lot, so I will be hanging on to my imp even though I'm not particularly excited about this scent by itself.

[tinyvulture]

Smells like barbecue! Very smoky and warm. The pepper is quite sharp, and it’s much stronger than the cinnamon and clove which linger in the background. I thought this would be a gentle “chai” type scent, and it really surprised me with its firey heat. It’s too much for my skin, but I’ll try it as a room scent on a cold night.

[shadith]

At first I get cinnamon and clove and a somewhat creamy undertone. Almost immediately the white pepper overpowers everything and I suppose the creaminess (or mildness for that matter) also comes from the white pepper as I often noticed this tone when I used it for cooking- it's nothing in comparison to black pepper, but also spicy enough. This has LOTS of throw and lasts really long too.

 

For me it was too strong and reminded me too much of cooking. Also the white pepper got up my nose and put it off every time I got a little too close- not the right perfume for me.

[storme]

In the imp: hmm, warm spicy clove and cinnamon. slightly off-putting sweetness to this, and not as much heat as I would hope.

 

On me, wet: oh, there's the pepper. This is totally a pepper-cinnamon hot sweet (oh, atomic fireballs!), the kind that burns your tongue and leaves your tongue bright red and scalded.

 

On me, dry: it's still a very very hot spicy candy treat. it doesn't mellow much at all. It might be nice layered with something to take the pure HOT edge away a bit.

 

Verdict: this is certainly different. I don't think I can wear this as an everyday scent, but I think I'll hang onto the imp for now.

Edited March 30, 2006 by storme

[GemmaCat]

This is an amazing scent. It's spicy, foody, and comforting. On my skin, the spices merge together to create a spiced-cake scent, which is surprisingly pure. With time, it softens into something much gentler, and the white pepper peeks out shyly.

 

On it's own I think it's delicious, but when layered with Hearth 2005 it becomes a mouth-watering bakery scent. As a coeliac who can't eat wheat-based cakes anymore, this really satisfies any residual cravings for gooey, spicy, bakery-goodness!

[luxuria]

In the bottle, this smelled like spicy barbecue sauce and...bacon. That was a bit of a turn-off, to say the least, but I'd been frothing at the mouth for months to try this, so I braved the sauced pork and put it on.

 

On my skin, the bizarre barbecued bacon smell disappears, and in its wake is pure, dry spice. BPAL's cinnamon can go a little candy-like on me but it stays true here. The clove and pepper seem to dominate, though, which definitely isn't a complaint--clove is one of my favorite notes and I haven't found a blend yet that has a really strong component. This is very hot, but it's a dry heat. As a fan of spicy scents, I adore this. I think it'd be even better layered with something a little creamier to ground it a bit.

[ariesathena]

I didn't care so much for this when I first sniffed it in the imp and had putting off trying it until today. Oh my god was I wrong. This is amazing. I'm actually not a huge fan of the heavier spicy scents but this is just perfect. It smells just like a chai tea latte to me. I can definitely smell the clove, with a faint edge of cinnamon, but it's also like someone tossed in some milk to mellow it out. It's light enough to not be overpowering, but it has a good throw and doesn't seem to be fading much. This is a 5/5 for me and I definitely need more.

[ajcj213499]

I really like the spices in this, but there seems to be a note in this that I remember from Samhain that doesn't agree with me... Strange...

[Galatea]

I'm so glad I wrangled an imp of this!

 

I smell like a combination of spicy wintertime cookies and cinnamon wax tarts from Yankee Candle. Both yummy and comforting.

It even warmed up the skin on my wrists where i applied it. (no burn, just warm.)

 

I'm thinking this would be an excellant scent to layer with something more floral or woodsy. spice with floral kicks a bit of the overly femme out, and spice with woods is just oh so lovely.

 

 

8/10

[Elrianra]

In the bottle: Oh this is nice, sweet but spicy with a tang of almost citrus to it. I'm definitely able to pull out the cinnamon in this scent, but it all blends so nicely together. Very warm but not hot, very tangy but not foody.

 

On me wet: WHOA, clove and cinnamon in the foreground with a mild tangy spice that's both and neither, I think it's the pepper just barely showing up.

 

On me drying: Hmm, it smooths out immediately almost to just warm and spicy, all three scents mix so cleanly together that I can't say one or another is standing out.

 

On me dry: Soft and just a little sweet, the cinnamon adds a nice contrast to the tangy-ness of the clove and spice of the pepper in that nutty-sweet aftertaste it has. I can literally taste this one in my mouth just breathing through my nose. It's making me want to go eat something fruity to contrast the dusty spice in my mouth. Like a nice tart, juicy Granny Smith apple... This is utterly perfect. Just the right blend of all three scents to make this irrevocably devine. I mean, there is NO breaking it down to one thing or another that makes me like it.

 

Final conclusion:

1 Hour Later - Still spicy sweet, this hasn't lost an ounce of it's kick. Hovering around like a playful baby dragon, cute but spicy.

 

Finale:

I certainly can't stay up until 4am to continue to review this one, but that's alright. It's made QUITE the impression on me. It doesn't have the throw I expected it to have, and the pepper isn't too pepper-ish, just sort of heats up the cloves and cinnamon, like putting them on a burner. This is lovely and so very ticklish. I was afraid it would make my skin burn or irritate it, but it hasn't in the least. I love this scent and am so very glad I got it!

[Melantha]

In the bottle: Spicy, sweet. I can hardly wait to put this on.

 

Wet: Wait, is this the same oil? Suddenly I don't like it very much, it's not what it promised to be. Maybe the pepper has amped up.

ETA: Smoky, that's it. It smells smoky, and smoke doesn't smell good on me.

 

Dry: Ah, there we go! Cinnamon, cloves, and the pepper has faded to the background. Absolutely luscious! I practically have my wrists glued to my nose! I feel like fall.

 

SO glad I scored a bottle of this!

Edited May 23, 2006 by Melantha

[sterlingspider]

In the bottle: Not particularly compelling. I think a bit too much of the pepper and clove come out and it smells like some very strong spiced drink.

 

Wet: A bit too foody, very heavy on the clove with barely any cinnamon, the pepper is just a faint bite. Smells like a fall Oktoberfest specialty beer. Clove tends to remind me too much of ham so I get turned off by it pretty quickly when it's all I can smell.

 

Drydown: OMG CINNAMON!!!!! Holy crap this is potent, and it does burn my skin a little but that seemed to fade pretty quckly. The clove took a definate back seat at this point and it's approaching wearable, though at this point I was thinking that if I do hold on to some perhaps I'll trade on my 5ml and see if I can dig up an imp since it's so incredibly strong.

 

After about 45 min: This is getting to be much more sane, primarily cinnamon but still with hints of clove (but not enough to turn me off to it), and the pepper is more feel then scent. I could wear this, though still I'm not sure I'd wear it enough to warrent keeping more then an imps worth. I might even just mix some in a roller bottle full of carrier to cut some fo the initial overpower and burn.

[Nekomata]

I don't have much to say about this that others haven't already mentioned. It's clove, cinnamon and pepper and doesn't seem to morph much on my skin. Reminds me of cider spicing Very warm and autumnal.

[edenssixthday]

Three Witches unfortunately disappears on my skin after about 5 minutes, leaving just the tiniest trace of pepper behind. At the 15 minute point, it's completely gone. Like the wind. Before that, it's sweet and spicy and reminds me of Red Phoenix. Oddly enough, I don't smell any cinnamon in it, just clove and pepper. It's not for me -- too peppery.