Romanti.Goth

[PurringPulsar]

ROMANTI.GOTH
Dark vintage musk enrobed in a velvet black swirl of plum, precious resins, opium tar, sweet incense, and Nepalese amber.

In the imp: black musk and opium. Has a worrying hairspray-ish scent.
Wet on skin: ooh, now I smell incenses and resins, and a lot of smoky opium.
Dry on skin: opium and musk, and lots of smoke, charcoal dust, resins thrown on a bonfire. Where’s the amber and plum? This is a lot smokier than I expected, it’s also a lot muskier. I do smell some gorgeous hints of frankincense, myrrh, something that may be benzoin and a scent that reminds me of Panther Moon, but I also smell a lot of thick black smoke like that of a coal fire or bonfire, charred wood, the one myrrh note that doesn’t work on me, and an opium note that is amping to the heavens. I know tobacco isn’t a listed note but I swear I smell it, and I don’t like it. The musk also seems to have slight hairspray aspects to it. This reminds me of the original Black Lace…but I don’t like that scent. No sweet fruit or amber to tone it down.
After a while: the musk completely fades and this smells like OMGBURNING. Yup, burning. Just pure smoke and blackened embers. Not gorgeous incense smoke or that amazing bonfire smoke from St John’s Eve or Devil’s Night, but tobacco and opium and tobacco and opium and yet more tobacco and opium, and it smells like ashtrays, cigars and charcoal, stuff that’s been set on fire. No incense (save for the bad myrrh that dislikes me), no amber, no plum, no musk. I suppose the advantage is that I don’t smell vetiver.
Verdict: I thought this would be amazing. Like Snake Charmer with more incense. Or like Hellion without the notes that turned bad on me. Almost everything in this scent was a surefire winner-I say almost everything, because it has troublesome opium in it too. And guess what was the strongest note, stomping on the plum and amber and resins and turning into a kind of mutant ashtray from hell note? Yup, that’s right, this was all opium, all the time, with a definite tobacco-type scent to it, and to top it off even the musk ended up not working on me. It just smelt like an out of control acrid smoky mess on me. If I want dark opium and resins, I think I’ll stick to Event Horizon, one of the few opium scents that smells fantastic on me. I admit, I had slight suspicions, and my suspicions were right-despite the promise of the notes, I guess I’m just not goth enough for this scent.
Emoticon rating:
Is it a keeper? sadly not-this is less Romanti.Goth and more Romanti.Fail on me.

[yamiko]

In Bottle: Musky incense and amber, with a hint of dark fruits.

 

Wet on skin: Mostly amber now, with a hint of sweet incense.

 

Drydown (3 minutes): Sweet, ambery fruits.

 

Drydown (5 minutes): The incense and musk has come back, but it's still pretty sweet. There's a sharp note in there as well, which I assume is the opium.

 

Overall Impression: When I smelled this in the decant, I wasn't really sure that I'd like it, 'cause it was so very musky. But once I put it on, it morphed a lot. Now everything is blended together into a nice, sweet, but not too sweet, incensey, fuity scent. Now, to acquire a bottle of this...

[thekittenkat]

I was sent a sniffie of this by the wonderful sirensea. Thanks so much!

 

This is amazing. I'm taken back to my clubbing days. We would have killed for something this good. I huff my wrist and can't stop. It's orgasmic, and I never thought that I would say that about any perfume. I can detect many of the notes: the musk, the plum, the resins, and the incense; not sure how exactly the tar and amber should smell, but I'm sure that they are adding to the lovely richness of this blend. Can't wait for my bottle to arrive so I can add to this review.

[BuxomM]

This is very dark and very strong smelling. Wet I smell dark musk, amber, and opium. As it dries it softens a bit. Now I can smell incense and something that sweetens it, which muct be the plum. It morphs.

[CreamyJade]

In the bottle: Opium, incense, heavy musk.

Wet on skin: Opium & musk still, the blend is turning very smoky. A morpher that one.

Dry on skin: Early after it has dried, the scent become very similar to an aged Black Lace's drydown, though without BL's delicious vanilla. It's been mentionned that tobacco's not in the notes, but I too smell tobacco during drydown. After a while, the scent intensifies and becomes smokier & richer on my skin. Woah.

Final thoughts: This blend is potent darkness, heavy & alluring. So beautiful! I haven't really experienced the plum (though I amped the plum in Hellion), that is my only drawback for this scent, but I can only blame my skin chemistry. Otherwise, Romanti.Goth is a heavy, smoky incense & amber blend, with some sweetness. I'm very happy I acquired a bottle of this!

Try if you like: Snake Charmer, Mme Moriarty, Black Lace.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Pretty much as described, incense, amber, and resins with the rest understated. It smells like velvet feels. It’s rich, heady, complex and womanly. Wet: The opium really comes out, and the plum warms. It’s not as smooth as in the bottle. It’s still complex with a lot of incense/resin, but the tar is so dominant it complexity changes the character of the thing. Given time, the incense strikes back. Dry: lots of sandalwood, with a softening by resins. It’s really quite lovely and androgynous and has lots of throw.

[Suusje]

I detect a little resemblance to Black Lace as well. A darker and heavier BL. After a little while there's just a tiny bit of sweetness coming through but it's still very dark, smokey and sexy. I just *knew* I was going to love it and it's all I could wish for and more

[Monster]

I tested this today while on my lunchbreak, went back to work and received a compliment! Ha! Too funny...and I work somewhere nobody likes to compliment me on my perfume oils. Needless to day, I was very happy.

 

RomantiGoth smells like vintage, aged perfume. I remember smelling something like this once in my grandmothers perfume collection (please don't misinterprent this comment as my saying it's old lady-like because it's NOT!) This is the scent of a sophisticated Goth....not the teeni-bopper sort.

This is deep, rich, velvety incense. It's a thick, somber incense scent with a background of a faintly sweet plum.

 

I knew I would love this based on the note listing. RomantiGoth is one of the very best BPAL scents I have smelled in a long time. Instant favorite here!

 

[crebbsgirl]

I have to agree with Monster's review! This smells like win and awesomesauce. There is a distinctly aged/vintage vibe about this scent. It's dark and velvetly and mysterious and alluring in a very dangerous kind of way. Smoky and hazy in a way that doesn't smell like smoke, with the plum giving it just a hint of sweetness. This doesn't go powdery on my like I was afraid it was going to. Gwydion nailed it with the "This smells like velvet feels." It does. It really, really, does.

[purplegirl]

I was lucky enough to get a bottle of this in a swap with the fabulous Ondine and honestly, I am in serious love, both with my fairy swapmother and this scent!

 

In the bottle, Romanti.Goth has that beautiful tobacco-incense that immediately brings Black Lace to mind. Instant swoon.

 

Wet, on my wrist, she is beeee-yoo-tee-full. Gorgeous! An almost dead wringer for Black Lace on me.

 

Drydown, she's definitely Black Lace's sexy, velvet-y, dark twin sister. My wrist hasn't left my nose for more than 5 minutes

[Voleuse]

I KNEW my streak of luck with amber could only last so long. This turns all soap on me. Now and then there's a hint of sweet smoke, but it always gives way to the round soapiness that amber often becomes on me. After a long while, this morphs into heavy, resiny florals, but the powdery soap is a grounding note beneath it.

Edited June 3, 2010 by Voleuse

[ravenfeathers]

in the vial very BPAL-y. resinous, sweet, dark.

wet on skin delicious. it's got all the good bits of black lace and miller v. CA without the icky bits that make both of those blends go south on me.

dry on skin lovely, if a tiny bit powdery from the musk. lovingggg the opium here and wish there were more blends with this note.

 

i will hoard this imp, viciously.

[Molls]

I tried this when I first got it, and I didn't like it for the first hour. It was too sharp at first, but dried down into a nice, sweet smoky musk. I slathered a bit today, and it took forever to dry down. It still isn't the yum that I experienced the first time, it's powdery resin instead of sweet musk. But I'll keep my decant and hope for better luck next time I try it

[dawndie]

In bottle: sharp musk

 

On skin: still lots of sharp musk, like fresh Black Lace -- o pointy musk, o pointy pointy...

 

Half-hour later: mellowed out quite a bit with some curling smoke

 

In conclusion: if you walked into a gothy club wearing Black Lace, this is what you smell like upon exiting. BL plus the fancy cigarettes and sweet cologne of someone you'd been sitting next to. I hope this becomes smoother and creamier as it ages, just like Black Lace does!

[jencallisto]

In the imp: Sweet, rich, dark, purple-y.

Fresh on the skin: Sweet and spicy and complex. Soft and sharp and round all wrapped up together.

10 minutes later: Sweet, spicy, dark, bitter. I'm pretty sure I like the overlay of plum and the base of amber, but I'm not sure the stuff in the middle is working for me. A little too heady, perhaps.

20 minutes later: It's softened up and blended a little more. It might make a nice candle, but I'm not sure I actually want to smell like this. It's not bad, I just don't especially like it. I almost like it, though. Maybe I like it?

30 minutes later: If it keeps getting softer and sweeter and spicier, I might have to give this more of a chance. There's still something about it that sort of puts me off, though. I'm not sure I like the powdery/soapy edge, and that sharp thing I don't like is still there.

40 minutes later: I have a serious love/hate thing going for this scent. Ack.

50 minutes later: Sweet, dry, spicy, dark, light, huh. Still not a fan of the powdery center, but I have to admit that this is growing on me. Smooth and classy, intense but not actually overwhelming. Strong throw.

1 hour later: This is... nice. A little excessively powdery, and not exactly what I typically like or wear, but.

1.25 hours later: Well, compared to Rivet.Goth on my other wrist, this smells fantastic.

2 hours later: About the same. Maybe a little more opium-sweet than plum-sweet, unfortunately. I think I would like it without reserve if it didn't have that powder in it. Well, and probably the opium isn't helping. I wish it weren't so strong.

3 hours later: About the same. Powdering down a little. A bit sickly in the sweetness -- presumably the opium. Still a pretty long throw. Meh.

4 hours later: About the same. The more I have it on, the more sure I am that I don't really like it.

5 hours later: About the same. Possibly even sweeter.

6 hours later: Yeah, I just don't like this stage. Wish it were less strong.

10 hours later: Still around, though it's powdered down to a laundry-ish stage. Actually, no, it smells like shampoo. And not the yummy-smelling kind, either (though also not the hideously chemical kind, to be fair). Hrm.

11 hours later: Sweet, faded laundry.

 

Verdict: Meh. Mixed feelings. Mostly just not quite for me.

 

One phrase: Sweet, dark powder.

[milo]

Wet, this is suspiciously familiar. I do believe it's is Black Laces's identical twin, only slightly less incensey and more 'soft'. Yep, this is vanilla, incense, tobacco, pretty much a dead ringer of Black Lace on me, only not as strong. This is nice, but I already have enough BL and don't need to track down anymore of RG.

[Schmoozy]

 

 

Hello opium and amber. As other reviewers have stated, a little goes a LONG way. With that being said, this is rich, incensy, resin-y amber heaven. It's thick and smoky, plummy and full of musk. I can't stop huffing myself. The throw is excellent, lasts forever and is simply gorgeous. IMHO Beth doesn't use enough nepalese amber, so I am thrilled that I was able to procure a bottle of romanti-goth. I only wish it was fall so I could wer this more often. It's a little too heavy for this time of year.

[sarielswish]

in the imp: incense and soap. odd. must be the amber.

 

wet on my skin: incense, opium, smoke, and there has *got* to be some clove in there. very rich. i'm not getting any frankincense, b/c frank gives me migraines and i don't feel anything. and and if there's myrrh, it's sweet myrrh, i think. the amber is still decidedly soapy, though.

 

30 minute drydown: slight bit of the plum peeking out now, but i'm still getting amber-incense-resin soap.

 

2 hour drydown: i spoke too soon about frank, because the scent is emerging and the headache has confirmed it.

[Roogna]

initial sniff skin and imp is dark, incensey with nothing much distinguishable. it's nice but faint.

 

2 hours later I get a wonderful scent coming off my wrist, but I can only smell it if I literally put my nose on my wrist and sniff it's much softer, a tad more resiny/floral and works so well on my skin! I just can't smell it unless I'm actually trying to

[Eros]

As others have said, very Black Lace-ish. Just as beautiful, too. Sometimes dry and a tad sharp, other times it's a touch sweet, but always, rich and oh so elegant. Definitely has a very dark edge to it, almost sinister at times. "Swirl of plum" is perfectly descriptive, as that's exactly what it does...rising quietly, teasing before it sinks back among the other notes. Very evocative of luxurious, black and blood red velvets. An intoxicating perfume. To me, more vampire than goth.

Simply exquisite.

 

[zankoku_zen]

Very Black Lace-ish. I get opium, tar, and resin. I was hoping for something more along the lines of... I don't know... Voodoo Queen, but I get a hint of plum and a ton of opium. Very heady, very dark, very femme fatale. I don't deal well typically with these types of blend, so pass.

 

Ah, and on the drydown, I get a pretty good hit of sweetness from it... so yeah, no.

[devilot]

Romanti.Goth

In the bottle: ACK! I don't know which note I'm smelling, but it's really really really pungent. Methinks it's the opium. Sharp. Powdery. "Cologney." So I really think it's the opium I'm being slammed with, and I don't like it one bit.

 

Wet: Smoky opium. Incense coming forth. Really dark. Sorry, I know that "dark" isn't particularly helpful, but that's what I get.

 

Drydown: Starts to sweeten a bit (yay plum and resins), but really, this is just so damned smoky, dark, and heavy on the opium. A lot of the incense, too.

 

Verdict: I'm sure plenty of folks would love this, but for me? Nuh-uh.

[silverivy]

I'm really impressed at how the Bat's Day scents really embody their namesakes. With this one, before I opened the vial, I envisioned wine-colored crushed velvet in a dark candle-lit room and that's exactly what it delivered. I'm not typically a fan of the heavier, resinous scents, but really enjoyed this one.

 

I can detect the musk, incense, and amber, and maybe a bit of plum, all of which were almost overpowering when first applied. After about 15 minutes or so, it drys down to something quite beautiful. Dark, mysterious, smoky. The throw is still strong, but it's not broadcasting quite as strongly as it was.

 

After about 30 minutes it starts to turn a bit powdery on me. I still like it, even at this stage. Not quite as romantic as before, but still intriguing.

[lilacea]

I had been trying like mad to get my hands on this to test it, and Kittenmorag came to my rescue and gifted me with a tester, that darling girl .

 

My first impression of the wet oil is definitely of BPAL's vintage musk note. I've not been able to pin down exactly what note it is it is that defines vintage musk, but it gives of the impression of a very faded floral, teak and musk perfume, quite musty. I almost get something like faded jasmine at the start, or this could be the sweetness from the opium (these notes aren't usually my thing, hence why I suck at telling them apart). This is for sure black musk, quite deep. Initially the scent is fairly musky, musty, a little powdery and a touch sweet. But once it blossoms on the skin, woooo, it does change a lot! It becomes very strong and compelling, and on my skin, very masculine. It smells like a heavy, dark mens cologne. It's definitely heavy on the resins and therefore very deep (in fact the oil itself is very thick and viscous in the vial, you can tell just by the consistency that there's some serious resin action going on here). I'm picking up the opium, amber, heady incense and resins mostly (I'm pretty sure we've got some sweet opoponax in there), and boy is this strong. There's possibly also a bit of tobacco in here too. As wear time goes on, the sweeter notes peek out a little more, but it is still strongly resinous and manly.

 

This is one of those scents that has turned out very differently from what my perceptions of it initially were. From the description, I was imagining a relative of Mme Moriarty, a deep sexy femme fatale type scent. I was also hoping for more of an appearance of the plum, as I'm not really picking up much of that here. But this is far more masculine than I would ever have expected, although this may be just a skin chemistry issue. I get the feeling this will age stunningly though, and this may help to bring out some of the sweeter notes, or to smooth and mellow out the resins. I'm grateful I got a chance to try this before going into a potentially costly bottle purchase blind, as it is magnificently different to what I was expecting. It is lovely if you're after a deep sweet resinous scent, but not quite what I was hoping for.

[Eemia]

This is very aggressive. I had such a strange cartwheel of feelings from this one. It's one of the heaviest incense scents I've tried and it's really overwhelming at first. But something about it gets under my skin. I really love it. It's ferocious and snarled but still has a lazy, understated softness hidden beneath all the heavy smoke and resin. Immediately it smells like dark sap and tar and clouds of black smoke. I get images of having my nose and mouth covered in thick, dirty leather, like being smothered. It's unsettling.

 

After that I notice a sweetness that seems to balance this out so it becomes much more sinuous and feminine. I get more of the sharp, liquor-esque plum note that vaguely resembles the one in Hellion. It's not a strong plum or even markedly fruity though. The amber is very strong, but it doesn't have that golden, syrupy quality I usually get from amber. It smells more dry and crystalline. And I could swear there's a floral in here somewhere... powdery violet or dusty, browned rose petals. Everything does feel ground down, and powder/dust-dry as it wears on my skin. I seriously adore powdery fragrances and it seems to embody that quality most closely and for the longest amount of time, which is doubtless why I love this scent so much.

 

That last tumble of dusky scent is the runner here, and it stays along these vibes for the remainder of the time. And does it ever stay! A small dab on my neck lasts me all day, overnight, and it's still noticeable the next morning.

 

I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I do, and I'm betting it'll only get better as it ages.