Malediction

[sofiaviolet]

Evil incarnate. Revel in your dark side with this romantically cruel scent. Contains red patchouli and vetivert.

Musty. Violently musty. I think it's the vetiver; I hate that note and it hates me right back by amping. All the scents with vetiver conjure up a specific memory of a massively musty place. This is not for me.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Something in this is putting me strongly in mind of Brimstone and Djinn... It's got some very firey smoky notes in it, but I also smell something earthy... like the note in Zombi maybe? Odd and intriguing.

 

On the skin: Vetiver. Smells like all vetiver. Which for some reason makes me think of the burning, chemically note in Brimstone and Djinn. Odd.

 

Final Analysis: Nice, but not me. Off to the swaps.

[edenssixthday]

Malediction - Wow, this is one heck of a strong, dry, pungent, dark and scratchy scent. It's obvious instantly that red patchouli is in this as well as vetiver -- which are both notes that I can rarely wear well. It has really amazing throw and the tiniest test dab on my arm had me surrounded with this dirty hippie scent for hours. Strangely, after a couple hours, I realized that I was actually kind of enjoying the scent. It seems to mellow quite a bit after a while, despite how powerful it is initially. This is probably not something I'm going to wear on its own, but it would be a really good scent for layering and adding depth to another scent. I tried it first with Snake Oil (since I'm of the belief that most things layer well with Snake Oil) and the results weren't as spectacular as I had hoped, and I won't be doing that combo again. Next, I'm going to try it with Bengal or Scherezade.

[Dandelion]

I wasn't going to try this on originally - I got it as a frimp and neither of the notes are for me. But it turned out to be one of those imps with the broken caps, and since it was already open I figured I might as well check it out.

 

Gritty. Very very gritty and dirty. For some reason it puts me in the mind of dirt. Not rich garden dirt, but just... dirt. It's sharp, bitter, and pungent. Not even the tiniest hint of sweetness or mellowness. Definitely not my favorite BPAL. Still, I think I wouldn't mind smelling it on someone else, provided the scent is "them".

[Victory]

I took this frimp on the plane with me a couple of weeks ago, and something happened to the cap that made it spill over all my other imps. It's a lucky thing, in some way, because otherwise I would never have given it a chance. This is vetivert, not the vetiver that I loathe. At first I didn't care for the scent at all, but since it's been surrounding me for a week, it's grown on me. I don't think of it as dirty or bad-hippie. Maybe a mysterious hippie. It's all right, is what it is. I'm glad I tried it.

[shivashiva]

I thought I liked vetiver. (vetivert?) Blood Kiss is my HG perfume, and I really like the dry down of All Night Long. I also like patchouli, esp the sweet kind, which from reviews it looked like red patchouli was.

 

I waited with baited breath for this sure to be favorite blend. IT WAS: BBQ. SMOKE. MORE BBQ SMOKE. IN THE IMP. ON MY SKIN. WET. WHILE DRYING. DRY DOWN. ALL SMOKE AND BURNT FLESH.

 

I smell no patchouli, no sweetness, all smoky, all bbq, all pork ribs, flames licking charred metal bars, my stepdad grinning with glee over the meat he had barbequed.

 

NOTHING ELSE.

[m13]

Wow, this totally didn't work on me. On my skin it smells like a very smoky, peppered piece of ... ham. Really, I kid you not. Country ham to be specific, not the bland ham you get in a grocery store. County ham is spunky ham.

 

I love patchouli, but I got the same odd little whiff of salty, smoky peppery something in Anne Bonny so I'm wondering if "red" patchouli and I don't get along.

 

And geeze Malediction will just *not* go away. I scrubbed three times with soap, and then made a glass of lemonade specifically so I could rub the squeezed lemon half on my skin -- fresh lemon usually kills oils dead. But not this time. Now I smell like a soapy, lemony, smoky, spicy country ham. Sigh.

[strangemusic]

With a name and description like that, how could I resist? Though when I saw the oil, I got a bit wibbly-- it is Dark. When I uncapped it, my nose got dark, dank, damp black earth. The sort of soil in which mandragora might be found, but not for any positive purposes. Oh no.

 

Wet: WOOD. Freshly planed, dark, heavy WOOD. I imagine that teak might smell like this, or perhaps mahogany. Incredible throw for the first thirty minutes, then it drops back to become... more WOOD. And EARTH. This ain't goin' nowhere, no how.

 

Dry: Still WOOD, but now with undertones of other types of EARTH, and something that's ... bark? It flashes, but if I try to smell it too much, I get sneezy.

 

Many, many, many hours later: Oh. It's that patchouli, I think. This one was way, way too blunt and woody for me to wear, so off with it. I'm more into Machiavellian evil, as opposed to HAYLOOKATMYEVOL!!1ONE!!1! I am sad because I wanted this one to work out, but now I get to find out if red patchouli/vetivert is a) off limits, or okay in smaller quantities.

 

C&P from the LJ, dated 22 May 2006

Edited September 3, 2006 by strangemusic

[illuviel]

I received this as a freebie with my Hexennacht decant.

 

In the imp: Vetivert! Patchouli! Very dark, solid and earthy-smelling without smelling like actual earth. Behind that, cedar. As a whole scent, it smells vaguely of pencils (graphite and cedar), which in itself is not a bad thing.

 

On, the earthier notes fade a little into the background (which is good, as I'm not a fan of the patchouli, and my spouse definitely isn't), and spicy cedar comes more to the fore. It's definitely a warming scent for me; I feel a distinct, physical flush of warmth while wearing it. It also reminds me of sunwarmed, clean guinea pig, freshly bathed with Wella Balsam shampoo and set in a bed of clean cedar shavings.

 

Given a little time to settle in, it's still very sharply pungent vetivert and cedar, equally strong, and a little peppery to the nose, though I don't detect any actual black pepper. It's a little butch for me (very solid, very ... sharp? no-nonsense? adjectives fail me, but 'butch' works), but I'd love this on meinen Mann ... if I could convince him to try it, even though it's got the dreaded "P" word in it.

 

I also layered this with Hexennacht in an attempt to redeem that scent for me -- I like it better 'anchored' with the earth and forest scents in Malediction than on its own and may be able to get away with this, though it's still powdery and 'sneezy' on me (until later in the evening, then mrowr. Much better then, if I could get through the sneeziness).

Edited September 29, 2006 by illuviel

[buzz23666]

I should have know better...

 

Patchouli and I are not friends. Surprisingly the vetivert was the only thing that made this one marginally ok.

 

off to the swaps this goes...

[steffanina]

Malediction-

 

(I'm excited to try this one--I want to know what vetiver and patchouli smell like when I know there's no sandalwood there.)

 

In Bottle: That rich chocolate-and-wood smell.

 

Wet: A sweet, piercing acetone note.

 

Dry: I wish there were something a little more fragrant and/or sweet to temper this a little. It's very dry, very staid. If I walked into a den full of books and smelled this I'd think it smelled good, but I don't think I want to smell like this as a person.

 

Overall: Conditional. I might scent a room with it.

[Musamea]

In the imp and wet: My goodness, that's a LOT of patchouli!

 

Dry: Patchouli and what I take to be vetivert. Something like dry woods. Very musty and waaay too strong for me.

[em_h]

Aiyee! I'm afraid this is an OMG-Get-It-Off-Me scent. It's like burnt plastic with extra-strong dirt. Yikes.

 

Patchouli is normally quite good for me, so I guess it must be the vetiver. I can wear some vetiver scents, but obviously this is just way too much for my chemistry.

[supremegoddessofall]

On me: That's patchouli, alright. But there's something fruity in here somehow. Also a "dust" note.

[jiggahava]

This, along with Wanda is the strongest oil I've tried yet. And I mean STRONG. got a tiny dab on my left wrist, and it was more than enough. Normally I love patchouli, but this is just wayyyy too strong on me. Guess my skin chemistry is just too delicate for this pungent blend. It must be the vetivert, because it's turning rather unpleasant on me, dark and bitter. I smell like a musty oakwood chest that's been left in the attic for years and years. I hate to dislike any scents, but I'm just not enjoying this one. This would smell much better on a man than on me. Definitley masculine, no questions about it. I think I'll try it as a room scent instead, and if that doesn't work, off to swaps it goes.

Edited December 23, 2006 by Hava

[Voleuse]

Warm, dark, a little spicy. A little sharp, as well, though it's hidden by the swathed incense of the blend. Sensual and shadowed, a hidden and wicked smile. In the end, this is earth and smoke on me, leaning towards masculine. Velvety, almost. I like this.

[PurringPulsar]

Malediction

 

In the imp: OMG VETIVER OF DOOOOOM. This is the vetiver that amps, I know it. Dark and murky and foreboding.

Wet on skin: vetiver is all I smell, the patchouli is only just barely there.

Dry on skin: ye gods, this is one helluva pure, vicious and voracious vetiver scent. Heavy, dark, brooding and moody. Smoky, gritty and with an odd sweet/incense scent at the back. The patchouli just enhances the earthy, murky scent of the vet, but apart from that it's pretty a single note of the darker, deeper, sinister vetiver.

After a while: it doesn't change much. it just stays as pure, intense, all-powerful vetiver. I am VETIVER and I pwn this scent and I will pwn your skin where you applied me for the next few days whether you like it or not. Mwahahahaha!

Verdict: there's vetiver, and then there's VETIVER. I like vetiver, no caps. The lighter variety that is found in scents like Bitter Moon and King of Clubs and a few others I can't remember now, the type of vetiver that doesn't amp like crazy and doesn't stick on my skin for a week. Malediction, however, contains VETIVER. VETIVER, in caps, is evil. It takes over a scent like nobody's business. It amps up on my skin. It's dark and murky and viscous and vicious and gritty and smoky and ashy, it's a scent that is as heavy as lead. It isn't a bad scent itself, but I wish it didn't take over on my skin…and the worst thing about VETIVER is the way it stays for ages and ages on my skin, resisting showers and scrubbing for at least four days. (Bad news if I want to wear a light, pretty, sugary scent the next day. Best get my steel wool out...) This scent is pure single note VETIVER, where patchouli doesn't even get a chance to show itself properly because VETIVER is stealing it's glory. The description 'evil incarnate' is spot on. The scent isn't disgusting (there are interesting incense and tobacco like tones to the scent) but it's just too VETIVER-y for me, and one that's a little too masculine. Off to swaps you go!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? no.

If you like this, try: Saturnalia, Sloth, Hurricane, Bloodlust, Brimstone

Edited January 4, 2007 by yeahbutnobut

[forspecial_plate]

Yep, that's patchouli and vetiver, all right. Smells just like those two essential oils. I happen to like both so it's okay. But honestly, I've come to expect more from a bpal blend. For example....Typhon has strong patchouli and vetiver, but the addition of musk and sandalwood make it something sweeter, more complex, more smokey, and very appealing. Perhaps I've been spoiled? I'm not even sure I want to keep this, because I've really stocked up on the dark, earthy, smokey blends, like Typhon, The Great He-Goat, Lycaon, Azathoth, and even Djinn in a way. I don't see myself reaching for this before Typhon or Lycaon very often.

 

But for anyone curious about what patchouli and vetiver smell like, this is it. This is about as straightforward as those notes can get. There may be other notes here but I can't smell them.

[hipslike___cinderella]

Straight from the vial, this is PUH-CHOO-LI. Dirty, dirty, dirty. Thick and sluggish. This IS evil smelling. Once it's on my skin, the vetiver jumps out and chokes me. It reminds me of burning dirt... like a forest in Hell. That's really all there is; this one stays strong FOREVER... even a shower didn't wash off where I had applied it.

 

That being said, I actually love this one. I'm a scent thrill-seeker and this one is full of character and dirtiness. Not for the faint of heart.

[Elemcee]

On me, red patchouli always starts off smelling like a cupboard of old coats. Not an unpleasant smell, but not one I would choose as a perfume.

 

I wait, usually, because after a while the scents do change. Malediction is no exception. This perfume is now smoky, yet sharp (Do I detect a hint of something citrusy?). Seductive with a bite. It would most likely be worn by a willowy, graceful creature with catlike eyes. She's beautiful, but you definitely wish you'd never met her.

 

I like it, although it's not something I'd wear regularly, I don't think.

[The_Merf]

This is a pretty standard mixing of patchouli and vetiver, two notes that I have increasingly fallen out of love with in the last few months. I will say that this is a really nice mix of the two--it's a very clean and fresh patchouli, and the vetiver gives it a bit of a "Green burn," as it were. Unlike some other red patchouli blends that have gone wrong, wrong, wrong on me, this one has behaved quite nicely.

[Celestyna]

eeek! patchouli

i'm on a neverending quest to find a scent that uses patchouli in such a TINY amount that you get just a hint of it. but i guess the nature of it is highly overwhelming.

 

it's just all patchouli on me

[Browneyes]

Imp: Whew! Strong patchouli, strong vetiver

Wet: Same

Dry: Well, I like patchouli and I like vetiver... but sadly, this is a bit too much. Maybe it works layered with something sweeter or floral, but I think I will be passing this on. It kind of smells like a musty, dirty wooden cabinet being opened for the first time in 50 years...

[theseagrows]

this scent is very sharp and woody. i am getting the pencil shavings i get from cedar i think. i am not a big patchouli fan but am a recent convert to vetiver love, so i thought i'd try this. however, i dont think it works so well on me, so off to swaps...

[jessiesquash]

I wouldn't normally consider myself the type of person to wear a scent like this but it really works on me. At first I get patchouli, lots of patchouli and I'm not a fan of it when it takes center stage usually. I like the patchouli in the background where it really sexifies (is that a word?) other notes and gives a scent a nice warm base.

 

However, this patchouli is not bad. It must be the vetiver doing sexy things to this. It has an interesting lemony tang to it and it's just getting deeper and more complex as it dries.

 

I really like it. It's unique and not something I'd normally go for. I got to try it but I don't have an imp of my own. I think I'd like to acquire one for further testing. It's very much like Sloth's evil second cousin!