Paduan Killer Swarm

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Tonka, black licorice, amber, golden sandalwood, ginger cream, bitter clove, stinging nettle, cinnamon bark, and coconut shell.

In the bottle: Smells like there's a shot of Jägermeister lurking in there.
Wet: Coconut, vanilla, and black licorice.
30 minutes later: Reminds me of Antikythera Mechanism (which smells like Angel for Men to me). I also think of cocoa.
Dry: Tonka and coconut.

I could smell this scent morphing like a swarm of bees, but they were happy bees. I didn't get anything "menacing" from this experience. It's sweet without being cloying, interesting, and beautiful.

[SophieCedar]

I agree completely with the previous review.

 

At first there's beeswax and licorice. Then tonka and coconut start to come out.. Drydown is much mellower after the sting of licorice is gone. The beeswax sticks around. The overall impression is closer to No 93 engine rather than antikythera though.

[aquazoo]

Yummy soft and sweet! The coconut and sandalwood comes up first, really warm. I get nothing sharp on this at all, instead it's the deliciousness that draws me in.

[sharybaby]

I really wanted to love this one. Coconut + licorice, in theory, sounds fantastic. On my skin, it's identical to Brown Jenkin (which was... meh). Dry, hazy coconut incense.

[Dharklady]

In bottle: Honey and coconuty suntan lotion.

Wet: This has a lot of dry, almost bitter base notes. I’m getting a lot of the bark, nettle, shell, and tonka with just a trace of licorice. Yet the amber and sandalwood have just enough presence to warm it up.

Dry: Stays fairly true to the wet scent but it calms down and deepens.

Notes: I’m still trying to figure out if I like this one or not. It’s a fantastic complex smell, and very different from what I normally like. Highly recommended if you enjoy the drier stuff.

[Jadys]

At fairs and in health food stores around here you can get flavored honey sticks which are like pixie sticks but with honey. One of the flavors is cinnamon and with this oil on I smell like I’ve been rolling around in cinnamon honey. I’m not a fan of this although I’m happy to report that I didn’t get any cinnamon rash from it.

 

 

[CitizenBree]

PDK is a real struggle for me. When I first tried it, I immediately put it on my "to-buy" list. When I tried it again, i was like "hmm...maybe not." I did another skin test against some of the moths and was like "whoa! too strong." and i'm testing AGAIN today because there was something there before, where'd it go?

 

well it's back. Maybe it's just certain times of the month when it bothers me and since the other times it's really awesome, I might as well get a bottle. This one is long lasting and good throw. and it's especially good on a hot, sweaty day. It warms up on the skin and has a sexy smutty feel to it without being overbearing. it's almost like you sweat out the scent instead of wearing one. it smells....thick!

 

This is spicy, but it's not straight up cinnamon. It has a coconut feel to me but it's not straight up coconut. what this smells like to me is a honey powder. The times when i didn't like it, it was more powdery. the times when i do like it, it's more honey.

 

I think if you are into scents like O, Smut or Snake Oil, you might like this one.

[yamiko]

I don't know how I feel about this scent. As it dries, there's something in it that just puts me off, probably the licorice. Once it dries, I get a creamy coconut with a warm spicy background. I feel like I should like this. It's got a lot of notes I love in it. But with every wiff, I waffle between wanting to get rid of my decant, to maybe just keeping my decant, to wanting a bottle. I've never really had a scent that's gotten that reaction out of me before.

[Imbrium]

Wow, Paduan Killer Swarm apparently does wackily different things on my skin!

 

I bought it because I was hoping for a nice complex coconut scent, but for me, the coconut fades into the blend almost instantly.

 

Applied wet, I smell the licorice, predominately, and something sweet and spicy in the background. When it dries, though, the spices come to the foreground, and something about the way they combine on my skin really, really reminds me of Pumpkin King--which happens to be my BPAL Holy Grail scent. So, you know, I'm kind of, um, insanely psyched about Paduan Killer Swarm. It's not identical, of course--sweeter, creamier, and lighter than PK (especially a few hours in to the drydown, as the tonka-creaminess grows more and more prominent), but the combination of the cinnamon, clove, and ginger, and the resins, I think, that ground them, makes this a really nice substitute. I will need MOAR bottles of this one!

[Xanon]

I absolutely love this blend! It *should* not work on my skin as I have issues with Black Licorice and amber...but it is BEAUTIFUL!

Wet I get bitter clove and the licorice with hints of the ginger cream.

Drying I get more of a dry feeling, I think that is the coconut shell, cinnamon bark, and the tonka making an appearance. Mmm, I can see where the Snake Charmer comparisons are coming from. But this is lighter on my skin, where as SC is a heavy and think scent.

Totally dry I am getting all the bits from the drying stage, plus something that is very faintly green. I am guessing the stinging nettle.

I am totally impressed by this blend. Before the Bees go away, I am going to be picking up a back up bottle.

Edited July 31, 2010 by Xanon

[Spork]

so apparently this does something really weird on my skin...to begin with, it's a lovely clove with a bit of coconut and something else slightly creamy or sweet and then it morphs into vetiver...yep, almost single not vetiver! it was just out of the mail and pretty hot out though, will have to put it away for a while and try again!

[isisonearth]

There are a couple of death notes for me here so I'm a bit worried.

 

First wiff the clove and licorice are really strong. Sharp on my skin. I could smell the cinnamon for a minute and I get flashes of a scent I'd like but the licorice overwhelms it. You gotta love licorice for this one.

[musichappens]

Thank goodness I didn't get any black licorice with this blend because usually black licorice = death on me. Instead I got creamy ginger coconut with a nice dash of clove. Also, this started off extremely faint on my skin and then gradually gained both throw and intensity. I usually don't wear these types of scent because they tend to get too spicy on me, but this is PERFECT! I'm going to need at least 2 bottles of this for the winter.

[benthic]

This blend is chock full o' death notes for me, so I had no plans on trying it, but it's gotten such good reviews, and then I was lucky enough to get frimped a bit of it! Finally I am testing the Swarm.

 

On me, it's . . . coconut! And faint black licorice. I do really, really poorly with spicy blends, but to my amazement this isn't one at all. It's a creamy blend, which was not what I was expecting. The clove begins to peek out a bit more after a couple of minutes--which is right around the time this blend begins to irritate my skin. Whup. Well, I didn't want to fall in love with it anyway, and honestly, it's nice, but it's also slightly sour and cloying on me (the cream, I think), so I probably would not seek out more anyway. I have coconut blends I enjoy more!

[pixiedoo]

Initially I completely dismissed this scent when I read the update due to the presence of black liquorice. Then in a moment of boredom I stumbled across the reviews and thought it sounded worth a try so I found myself an imp. What a wonderful surprise it turned out to be.

 

In the imp: Bertie Bassett's Liquorice Allsorts and coconut...rather scary to be honest.

 

Wet: I smell like Bertie Bassett!! Full on, in your face black liquorice yuckiness...still scary.

 

Dry: After about 30 minutes this morphs into something just divine. The liquorice slopes off elsewhere (thank feck) and what is left is creamy, spicy, sexy, slinky wonderfulness!! The amber and ginger cream come out to play, drizzled with creamy coconut and a hint of slightly spicy sandalwood, backed up with a subtle kick from the cinnamon bark...WOW!! It really is one of the most beautifully complex scents I have tried so far and I love it

 

I am so glad I decided to give it a try and got past my fear of the Bertie Bassett stage. I have already ordered a full bottle and I am contemplating a back up. It's amazing!!

[moon_lemming]

It took me forever to locate a decant of Paduan Killer Swarm once I decided to try it. I'm glad I decided to try it before buying a bottle, though. I was hoping for yummy black licorice and vanilla and coconut but on my skin it's all fuzzy brown dry-feeling blah.

 

Someone above mentioned a similarity to Brown Jenkin, and I agree, it reminds me very much of that blend, especially the sense of "furriness." Brown Jenkin smelled like cedar to me, while PKS doesn't, but it's still the first thing I thought of -- because of the coconut husk, perhaps.

 

I'm not sure why my skin devoured all the good bits; maybe it's trying to save me from myself and cut down on my BPAL spending.

Edited August 16, 2010 by karen

[crebbsgirl]

On me, this is predominantly tonka and licorice. Something about this combo is translating as almost leather-like to my nose. The overall blend is giving a little bit of a masculine vibe. It's sweet and dark, but there's something a little sharp to it. It may be the clove. Further into the drydown the coconut husk comes out. But it definitely doesn't smell like suntan-oil coconut. This is dry and papery coconut.

[LiberAmoris]

Paduan Killer Swarm is kind of rocking my world. On my skin, I feel like I can smell each one of the notes, but the overall effect is a kind of blurred, nested, ambery-dark coziness, much like a beehive. With the gourmandy notes of licorice, ginger cream, clove, cinnamon, and coconut shell, it's the kind of BPAL where I find myself wanting to call it delicious, because there's something so mouth-watering about it. And yet it's definitely not defined by those 'yummy' notes because it offers a different texture than one expects from anything foody---there's something vaguely fuzzy and warm about the amber that seems just like the fuzz on a bee, and the nettle smells restless, like the green, unceasing growth of something dangerous and without conscience.

 

When I was a kid, I used to pet the backs of bumblebees while they gathered pollen, because they were so soft. But you only have to get stung once to learn that things in the world are more complicated than they seem. This blend definitely captures the warmth, sweetness, restiveness and threat of a killer bee. I'll definitely enjoy using every drop in my bottle.

[boxinghelena]

I'm so glad I ended up buying a bottle of Paduan Killer Swarm on the last day it was offered. On me, it's a cross between Snake Oil & Snake Charmer. It's very interesting but very light in scent. I stuck my wrist under my fiance's nose & he said he could barely smell it. Either way, I really like it.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Soft coconut cream and a touch of licorice

 

Wet on me - The licorice and the coconut take on a rubbert feel reminiscent of Tombstone but less agressive

 

Dry on me - A warm, dry, slightly rubbery resin with slight hints of licorice coming through

 

Overall - This is a grown up, ladylike, sister (or perhaps cousin) to Tombstone and I like it a lot

[filigree_shadow]

Ew. No, this one isn't for me at all.

It smells like some particularly weird licorice at first, and then the coconut in it makes it smell artificial and strange.

I'm VERY picky about licorice, and coconut often does that icky plastic-y artificial thing on me, so this is no big surprise. But no -- this doesn't work for me.

[Incendiare]

Holy licorice batman, that's all I smell in the imp. Wet, black licorice. Granted, my nose is sensitive to black licorice and my skin amps it to high heaven, but I was expecting to smell some more notes here.

 

I've had it on for about 15-20 minutes now and the licorice has calmed down a bit. I can smell a trace of coconut in the background, and there is now the smallest hint of creaminess. It's a lot better now than what it was in the imp and wet on my skin, but it's not really my thing.

[Bluestocking]

In the bottle: This is GLORIOUS. I think I just had a nose-gasm. Extremely well-blended, always shifting, just when I think I have it… kind of like a swarm of bees! So much prettier, though. It's sweet and rich and spicy and just… guh. My first impression is of the tonka, which reminds me of Ashlultum (not a bad thing). Then I get a slight bite from the spices, specifically a hint of darkness from the clove (one of my favorite notes) and then warm, smooth gingery goodness from the ginger cream. There's a faint aura of coconut sweetness, which isn't so distinctive in itself but seems to enhance all the other notes, giving them this great aura. And last but not least, almost a sort of after-smell, I get the licorice beneath, dark and smooth and shockingly beautiful. I was wary of licorice as a note, but I don't think I ever will be again.

On, wet: Less overtly sweet, and distinctly more herbal… the sweet elements are there, but they're lighter. The nettle and cinnamon bark are definitely more prominent, sitting on top of a cloud of tonka-coconut-ginger-clove amazingness. But now I get the sting, that hit of the herbal that's soothed by the softer sweetness. Still loving this.

On, dry: It's sweetened up again, but it isn't sugary or truly foody. It's still primarily tonka, ginger, clove, coconut and licorice, though I know the other notes are in there; it's just so well-blended that it's tough to pick them out. The coconut is doing the same sort of wonderful thing that it does for me in Mlle Lilith, going a little bit woody (well, it is the shell) and just adding this lightly sweet, beautiful haze over everything. And the black licorice is still there at the tail end, making things just that little bit more complex and interesting. The throw is decent, and quite pretty.

Later: The sandalwood has come out on dry down, and it's beautiful, the sort of almost creamy golden sandalwood that I like in Tamora. Less of the spiciness now (not so much clove or ginger), but the tonka and coconut shell are still sweet and rich/sweet and woody, with just a tiny twinge of licorice. It's different now, but still beautiful.

Overall: Instant love. Instant favorite. I don't know what more I can say that I haven't gushed about already. This is a masterpiece of blending, and I think the licorice note is a stroke of actual genius.

[Ella LaRose]

first scent I pick up in this is the cinnamon and clove, but I am very sensative to those scents, then as it dries I can can smell the earthier scents coming out, and the amber, tonka. then the licorice gets really strong and that becomes the main scent I can smell on me. Hints of amber start to peek out. but once dry I still mostly smell the licorice. wanna try this on a guy.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Dry coconut with a distinctly cold herbal feel.

 

On skin: Dry, fluffy coconut husk (not milk) infused with light woods and dark, dried herbs. I can't precisely identify the non-coconut notes, but can smell how ginger, nettle, and liquorice are playing into the overall herbal feel. The scent remains much the same over time: sweet, light coconut framed by a fascinating but somewhat sinister dusty herbal-woody aura. Like a toothy grin, it's pleasant but not entirely welcoming. Indeed, Rappaccini's bees are more menacing than the average fat, yellow honeybee. Colour impression is the white of coconut flesh with black thorns lurking menacingly just beneath the surface.

 

Verdict: No coconut-dominant blend has wowed me yet, but Paduan Killer Swarm is the best so far. Both the scent and concept are interesting and well-executed, but don't see myself wearing it often.